Ethan Ampadu

Exeter City

Born in Exeter, Devon, Ampadu is the son of former professional footballer Kwame Ampadu. A product of the Exeter City youth academy, appearing for the under-18 squad at the age of 14, he made his senior debut – aged 15 years, 10 months and 26 days – in an EFL Cup first round match against Brentford at St James Park on 9 August 2016, playing the full 120 minutes of a 1–0 victory. He became the club's youngest ever player, breaking an 87-year-old record set by Cliff Bastin, and being named man of the match. Ampadu's record was beaten by Ben Chrisene in August 2019. A week later, he made his league debut in a 1–0 home defeat against Crawley Town in EFL League Two.

Chelsea

On 1 July 2017, Ampadu signed a contract with Premier League club Chelsea. The two clubs had entered negotiations over a compensation fee for the player in an attempt to reach a fee that both found acceptable for the then 16-year-old. Yet, in November 2017, Exeter City chairman Julian Tagg said that, whilst there was still a positive relationship between the two clubs, there was also a "massive disparity" in both clubs' valuation of the player. It was set to go to a tribunal. On 20 September 2017, Ampadu made his debut for Chelsea in an EFL Cup third round match against Nottingham Forest, coming on in the 55th minute for Cesc Fàbregas. Doing so made him the first player born in the 2000s to play for the Chelsea senior team. At 17 years and six days old, he also became the…

Ampadu plays internationally for the Wales national football team. He qualifies for Wales through his Welsh mother. He was previously also eligible to represent England, Republic of Ireland and Ghana. On 26 May 2017, at the age of 16, Ampadu was called into the senior Wales squad ahead of their World Cup qualifier with Serbia. He was called up again on 1 November 2017 for friendlies against France and Panama, and made his debut aged 17 on 10 November 2017 against France at the Stade de France, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Joe Ledley in a 2–0 defeat. In May 2021, Ampadu was selected for the Wales squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. On 20 June, in the 55th-minute of Wales' 1–0 defeat to Italy, he received a straight red card for a late challenge on Federico Bernardeschi, becoming the youngest player to receive one at the European Championships. In November 2022, he was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Club

As of match played 5 September 2026

International

As of match played 6 June 2026

Chelsea

FA Cup: 2017–18 UEFA Europa League: 2018–19 Leeds United

EFL Championship: 2024–25 Individual

Wales Young Player of the Year: 2016 EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2023–24 PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 Championship The Athletic Championship Team of the Season: 2023–24