- Victor Salako Jr. signs Crystal Palace scholarship
- Nephew of club legend John Salako
- Eagles academy is stacked with talent
Crystal Palace legend John Salako’s nephew has signed a scholarship at Selhurst Park. The 13-year-old Victor Salako Jr. has become one of the youngest players to sign a scholarship with the club.
Victor Salako Jr. has spent the past six years playing at youth level for Palace. He has been consistently featuring for the Under-15s and Under-16s sides.
On his Under-16 debut, he assisted in a 3-2 win over Norwich City. The youngster also signed a deal with Adidas ahead of this campaign and is tipped to have an extremely bright future.
Victor Salako Following Father’s Footsteps
Tricky wingers are a staple of the Palace academy, with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and, more recently, Joel Drakes-Thomas coming through the ranks to play for the first team. Salako Jr. is no different. A skilful, agile winger who has an eye for an unbelievable strike, Palace fans should keep a close eye on his development.
His dad, John, played over 200 games for Palace, beginning his career in South London. He was a key figure in the Palace side that won promotion to the First Division in 1989, and was also in the side that lost the FA Cup Final replay to Manchester United after drawing the first final 3-3.
A year later, Salako played a key role as Palace recorded their highest ever top-flight finish, coming third in the 1990/91 season.
In the Premier League’s founding year, Salako suffered a serious knee injury as Palace were relegated to the second division. When Mark Bright and Ian Wright were sold that summer, he started up front with Chris Armstrong in the following campaign, and once again led the Eagles back to the top flight.
Crystal Palace’s Esteemed Academy
Since Palace’s academy was granted Category One status in July 2020, the youth teams have seen a rapid rise in talent, with the South London club able to convince players to stay put, where before they may have been tempted away by bigger clubs.
The Under-21 side won the Premier League International Cup in the 2023/24 season, beating Jong PSV 1-0 at Selhurst Park, Franco Umeh scoring the winning goal.
Palace’s Under-18s are currently third in the Premier League South, nine points behind first-placed Chelsea, who have played two more games.
Offering a clear route to the first team is something Palace will have to continue to prioritise if they are to capitalise on this exciting crop of talent.
