Romain Esse
English footballer

Romain Esse
Personal information
Full name Romain Joy Kouakou Esse[1]
Date of birth (2005-05-13) 13 May 2005 (age 20)
Place of birth Lambeth, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Coventry City
(on loan from Crystal Palace)
Number 14
Youth career
2014–2022 Millwall
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2025 Millwall 61 (6)
2025– Crystal Palace 11 (1)
2026– → Coventry City (loan) 2 (0)
International career‡
2023 England U18 6 (1)
2023 England U19 8 (1)
2024– England U20 9 (1)
2025– England U21 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 4 January 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:04, 9 October 2025 (UTC)

Romain Joy Kouakou Esse (born 13 May 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a wide midfielder or winger for Coventry City, on loan from Crystal Palace.

Club career

Millwall

Esse is a youth product of Millwall, and impressed in his first senior appearance in a cameo in a friendly against Brøndby in November 2022.[3] He made his professional debut with Millwall as a late substitute in a 2–0 EFL Championship win over Watford on 26 December 2022.[4] On 19 January 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club and was promoted to their senior team for the rest of the season.[5]

On 5 August 2023, he scored his first senior goal in a 1–0 win against Middlesbrough, from an assist by Aidomo Emakhu.[6]

Crystal Palace

On 18 January 2025, Esse joined local rivals Crystal Palace signing a five-and-a-half year contract.[7] The fee was undisclosed, but was reported to be £12 million, potentially rising to £14.5 million with add-ons.[8] Esse scored against Brentford in a 2–1 loss for Crystal Palace in the Premier League on 26 January with his first touch for the club after coming on as a late substititute.[9]

Coventry City (loan)

On 7 January 2026, Esse joined Championship leaders Coventry City on loan for the remainder of the season.[10]

International career

On 22 March 2023, Esse made his England U18 debut during a 2–1 win over Croatia in Medulin.[11]

On 6 September 2023, Esse made his England U19 debut during a 1–0 defeat to Germany in Oliva.[12]

On 29 August 2025, Esse was called up to the England under-21s.[13] He made his debut as a substitute during a 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Kazakhstan on 8 September 2025.[14]

Personal life

Born in England, Esse is of Ivorian descent. He attended St Thomas the Apostle College for five years, where he featured in a number of school matches and played an important role in their success.[15]

Career statistics

As of match played 4 January 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Millwall 2022–23[16] Championship 12 0 1 0 0 0 — 13 0
2023–24[17] Championship 25 2 1 0 1 0 — 27 2
2024–25[18] Championship 24 4 0 0 2 1 — 26 5
Total 61 6 2 0 3 1 0 0 66 7
Crystal Palace 2024–25[18] Premier League 7 1 2 0 — — 9 1
2025–26[18] Premier League 4 0 — 1 0 3[a] 0 8 0
Total 11 1 2 0 1 0 3 0 17 1
Career total 72 7 4 0 4 1 3 0 83 8
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

Honours

Crystal Palace

References

  1. ^ "=CLUB LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS" (PDF). English Football League. p. 13. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Romain Esse Profile & Stats". Premier League. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  3. ^ Jones, Alex (26 November 2022). "Millwall youngster impresses in first appearance for Millwall's first team". Southwark News. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. ^ Cawley, Richard (30 December 2022). "Millwall prospect set to stay in first-team fold for remainder of the season". South London Press. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ^ Cawley, Richard (19 January 2023). "Exclusive: Millwall winger Romain Esse signs long-term professional contract". South London Press. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Romain Esse's winner seals opening day win for Millwall". Millwall FC. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Palace sign Romain Esse from Millwall". Crystal Palace F.C. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Crystal Palace: Millwall winger Romain Esse signs on deal until 2030". BBC Sport. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Crystal Palace 1-2 Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade earn Bees victory in Thomas Frank's 300th game". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Romain Esse joins Coventry City on loan from Crystal Palace". www.ccfc.co.uk. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  11. ^ Hides, Leanne (22 March 2023). "Report: Croatia 1-2 England MU18s". England Football. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Report: England MU19s 0-1 Germany". England Football. 6 September 2023.
  13. ^ Association, The Football. "England MU21s squad named for Kazakhstan trip". https://www.englandfootball.com. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  14. ^ "Report: Kazakhstan 0-2 England MU21s". Englandfootball.com. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  15. ^ Gbaguidi, Jacques (22 January 2023). "Millwall : Romain Esse signe un nouveau contrat" (in French). Africa Foot United. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Games played by Romain Esse in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Games played by Romain Esse in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Games played by Romain Esse in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Crystal Palace 1–0 Manchester City: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  20. ^ "FA Cup holders Crystal Palace beat Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to win an enthralling Community Shield at Wembley". BBC Sport. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  • Romain Esse at Soccerway
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