Eberechi Eze

Eberechi Oluchi "Ebere" Eze (/əˈbɛərəˌtʃi ˈɛzə/ ə-BAIR-ə-tchee EZ-ə; born 29 June 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team.

A product of numerous English academies, Eze began his senior career with Queens Park Rangers in 2016. His breakthrough came in the 2019–20 season, in which he scored 14 goals and was named the club's Player of the Year. He was subsequently signed by Crystal Palace for £17 million. He went on to make over 150 appearances for the club, as well as scoring the only goal in the 2025 FA Cup final to win the club's first ever major trophy, as well as winning the 2025 FA Community Shield, before he was signed by Arsenal for £67.5 million.

A former England youth international, Eze made his senior debut in 2023, and later represented his country at UEFA Euro 2024.

Eberechi Oluchi Eze was born on 29 June 1998 in Greenwich, Greater London, to Igbo Nigerian parents. Growing up, he reflected on his life, saying: "There are the nice parts [of Greenwich] and the not so nice parts. I grew up in a not so nice part. It wasn't the easiest life and you don't have as much as other kids around you. The first place we'd go after school is to the cage. We'd stay there till our parents called us in, not eating, playing all day and night. There wasn't really anything else to do. But that's where the love comes from. [At the time], you don't realise it's actually how you're learning your trade." Eze then met Bright Osayi-Samuel, his teammate during his time at Queens Park Rangers, at secondary school, The John Roan School, and played football together at the same district team.

Eze started his football career at Arsenal before being released when he was thirteen and then went on to join Fulham and Reading. Eze then appeared as a youth player at Millwall, where he signed a two-year scholarship with the club. Eze quickly progressed through the under-18 and reserve teams. It was announced in April 2016 that Eze would be leaving Millwall at the end of the 2015–16 season after not being offered a professional contract.

Following his release from Millwall, Eze continued studying in college before trialling successfully with Championship club Queens Park Rangers, impressing the club's technical director Chris Ramsey. Eze completed his signing for QPR on 3 August 2016. On 7 January 2017, Eze made his first-team debut in an FA Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers, featuring for 18 minutes before being injured and replaced by Yeni Ngbakoto. The game resulted in a 2–1 home defeat for QPR. This was his only appearance of the 2016–17 season for the side. He then signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2019.

On 30 August 2017, Eze joined League Two club Wycombe Wanderers on loan until January 2018. He made his Wycombe Wanderers debut, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Newport County on 9 September 2017. After making his debut for the club, Eze quickly became a first team regular for the side, where he rotated in different midfield positions. Eze scored his first ever senior goal on 7 October 2017, netting a brace for Wycombe against Cambridge United. His goal against Cambridge United earned him a nomination for the League Two Goal of the Month award for October. He made a total of 20 appearances and played a part in Wycombe gaining promotion that season. Eze scored a further four times in total for Wycombe, putting in some eye-catching performances before returning to QPR in January.

After returning to QPR, Eze featured regularly for Ian Holloway's side, who planned on using him in the first team. His first appearance of the 2017–18 season came on 6 January 2018 against Milton Keynes Dons in the third round of the FA Cup, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss. By the end of the 2017–18 season, he had made 16 appearances, with his first goal for the club coming on 10 March 2018 against Sunderland, the only goal of the match.