After many years as African football's eternal promise, Ismaila Sarr has finally come of age at Crystal Palace this season, putting his combination of pace, dribbling ability and ruthlessness in front of goal to good effect.
The Senegalese striker arrived in London in the summer of 2024 with little fanfare. Having previously been heralded as one of the purest talents of his generation, Sarr had struggled for consistency in recent seasons at Watford and Marseille.
Once a traditional winger, under Oliver Glasner Sarr he has operated as one of the two attacking midfielders in the coach's 3-4-2-1 formation, where he can have more of an impact in and around the box.
His goalscoring stats from this season bear witness to his evolution: his six Conference League goals so far – including two against AZ Alkmaar and a decisive double against AEK Larnaca – mean he is one of the favorites to finish as the competition's top scorer.
The 28-year-old has also notched seven Premier League goals, making him the Eagles' second highest scorer.
Though he remains in his element on the right wing – where he can unleash bursts of speed up to 35.5 km/h – he is perhaps at his most threatening when he darts towards the six-yard box, throwing opposition defenses into confusion.
In addition to his explosive pace, the 186 cm tall forward is also effective in the air – as he showed with his headed goal in the first leg against Fiorentina.