Djed Spence

Spence primarily plays as a right-back, and is known for his pace and dribbling ability. He has been praised by Ian Wright, who described him as "combative, technical, swashbuckling", and Wes Morgan, who compared him to a Rolls-Royce.

In March 2022, Spence earned a first international call up to the England Under-21 squad for the European Championship Qualifying matches against Andorra and Albania. He made his debut as a substitute during a 3–0 victory away to the latter on 29 March 2022. Spence was called up to the senior England squad for the first time on 29 August 2025. On 9 September 2025, Spence made his debut for the English senior squad in a 5–0 victory against Serbia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, replacing Reece James in the 69th minute.

2026 FIFA World Cup

On 22 May 2026, Spence was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut as a substitute in England's 4–2 opening group match win over Croatia on 17 June. He then started at left back in the following match against Ghana on 23 June, playing 66 minutes before being substituted for Nico O'Reilly. After making another substitute appearance in the 2–0 win over Panama in the team's final group match, Spence started at right back in the round of 32 match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 1 July, playing 70 minutes. He went on to appear as a substitute in both the 3–2 win over Mexico in the round of 16 and the 2–1 win over Norway in the quarter-final. During most of the tournament, he wore a custom protective jaw brace after sustaining an injury from a hit by Liam Delap in a Premier League match against Chelsea prior to the World Cup. He removed the brace midway through the…

Middlesbrough

Spence signed for Middlesbrough on 1 July 2018, having previously been with Fulham's academy. He made his debut for Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup on 14 August 2018, appearing as a substitute versus Notts County at the Riverside Stadium. Spence made his league debut for Middlesbrough in a 1–0 win over Charlton Athletic on 7 December 2019, scoring his first league goal in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 26 December 2019. On 11 January 2020, Spence won the EFL Young Player of the Month following his league debut, first goal, and three clean sheets.

Nottingham Forest (loan)

On 1 September 2021, it was announced Spence would join Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season. He scored his first goal for Forest in a 3–0 win over Birmingham City on 2 October. Spence impressed in FA Cup victories over Premier League clubs Arsenal and Leicester City, scoring the fourth in a 4–1 victory over the latter. Spence was awarded the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for March 2022 as well as being nominated for the Goal of the Month award following his long range strike against Queens Park Rangers which he was ultimately awarded. Having also been nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season, Spence made it a hat-trick of awards for March 2022 when he won the EFL Young Player of the Month award for the second time in his career, becoming the first player to win it twice in the process. Spence played a vital role in…

Spence was born in London as Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence. He is the younger brother of actress Karla-Simone Spence. He is of Jamaican descent. During his childhood, Spence played for Peckham Town and Junior Elite at grassroots level.