Jadon Malik Sancho[3] was born on 25 March 2000[4] inCamberwell, Greater London,[5] to a mother of English descent and a father of Jamaican and Guyanese descent.[6][7][8] He lived in theGuinness Trust Building estate inKennington.[8][9][10][11] He became friends with fellow aspiring footballerReiss Nelson, who lived nearby, after they played together in youth tournaments.[12] Growing up, he was aChelsea fan and looked up toDidier Drogba andFrank Lampard.[13] Sancho's primary inspiration wasRonaldinho, saying in 2018 toSky Sports that "Ronaldinho was a big influence on me, watching him on YouTube, he used to do things that other people didn't really use to do."[14]
Sancho joinedWatford at the age of seven.[9] Due to issues with commuting across London to the club's academy, he moved into accommodation provided by Watford and began attending their partner schoolHarefield Academy as a boarder, aged 11.[8][9] At the age of 14 he told his Watford under-15s coach about his intention to play for England.[15]
At the age of 14, he moved toManchester City in March 2015 for an initial fee of £66,000 under theElite Player Performance Plan, potentially rising to £500,000 with add ons.[16][17] Sancho continued to impress in the City academy and was one of a trio of players that City chairman,Khaldoon Al Mubarak, said would be fast tracked into the senior set up in May 2017.[18][19] In July, Sancho was omitted from City's pre-season tour squad due to a dispute over assurances of playing time in a new contract.[20][21] It was subsequently reported that Sancho was attempting to engineer a move away from the club and City were alarmed at Sancho's attitude after he missed training following a pre-season tour.[22][23]
Sancho signed for GermanBundesliga clubBorussia Dortmund on 31 August 2017 for a fee reported to be in the region of £8 million and was immediately included in the first-team squad.[24][25] He later stated that he felt confident in making the move abroad due to his previous experiences in relocating with Watford and Manchester City.[9][8] Sancho made his debut for the club againstEintracht Frankfurt on 21 October, coming on as asubstitute with six minutes left of the match, becoming the first Englishman to play a Bundesliga match for Dortmund.[26] Sancho made his first league start for Dortmund on 14 January 2018, hitting the woodwork in a goalless draw withVfL Wolfsburg.[27] He scored his first professional goal on 21 April. It was the first goal in a 4–0 victory againstBayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and he alsoassisted two other goals in the same match.[28]
Having signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2022,[29] Sancho enjoyed a successful October 2018 by being named Bundesliga Player of the Month, registering three goals and an assist in just three league games.[30] Included among his goals for the month was a brace in a draw againstHertha BSC which saw him become the first player born in the 2000s to score twice in a single Bundesliga match and the youngest ever by a Dortmund player.[31] On 24 October, he also became the first player born in the 2000s to score in theUEFA Champions League for Dortmund againstAtlético Madrid.[32]
During a 3–3 draw withTSG Hoffenheim on 9 February 2019, he became the youngest-ever player to score eight goals in a single Bundesliga season, breaking the record previously held byChristian Wück.[33] Later that month, upon scoring in a 3–2 win over Bayer Leverkusen, he brokeLukas Podolski's record to become the youngest player to score nine Bundesliga goals, aged 18 years and 336 days.[34] On 13 April, Sancho scored a brace in a 2–1 win overMainz 05 and in doing so became the youngest-ever Dortmund player to score at least 10 goals in a single Bundesliga campaign.[35] Following an impressive league campaign in which he scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists, Sancho was named in the2018–19 Bundesliga Team of the Season.[36]
Success continued ahead of the2019–20 season, with Sancho providing an assist and scoring in a 2–0DFL-Supercup victory over Bayern Munich on 3 August 2019.[37] Later that month Sancho agreed a new contract with Dortmund.[38] In November, he was named runner-up in theGolden Boy award.[39] The next month, he was named runner-up in theKopa Trophy award.[40] Sancho's goal in Dortmund's 3–3 draw withRB Leipzig on 17 December meant he had scored in seven consecutive games for the club (including inChampions League matches againstBarcelona andSlavia Prague), bringing his tally up to 15 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga in the calendar year of 2019.[41] Sancho's three goals and three assists in five league matches during February 2020 saw him namedBundesliga Player of the Month for the second time in his career.[42]
On 31 May 2020, Sancho scored his first careerhat-trick in a 6–1 away win overSC Paderborn. After scoring his first goal, he removed his shirt to reveal a shirt with the message "Justice forGeorge Floyd", a black man who wasmurdered earlier that week in Minneapolis by a police officer, who knelt on Floyd's neck until he became unresponsive.[43]
On 1 July 2021, it was announced thatManchester United and Dortmund had reached an agreement for Sancho's transfer, subject to him signing a contract and passing a medical, both of which were expected to happen afterUEFA Euro 2020.[46] The transfer was completed on 23 July, for a reported transfer fee of £73 million (€85 million), after Sancho signed a five-year contract with the option of a further year.[47] On 14 August, he made his debut as a substitute forDaniel James in a 5–1 home league win overrivalsLeeds United.[48] On 23 November, he scored his first goal for the club, againstVillarreal to secure a spot in the knockout stage of theChampions League.[49] Five days later, he scored his first Premier League goal against Chelsea afterJorginho miscontrolled a long clearance fromBruno Fernandes, allowing Sancho to take advantage of a two-on-one withÉdouard Mendy.[50]
Sancho scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season in a 2–1 home victory overLiverpool on 22 August 2022.[51] On 1 February 2023, he played in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg match againstNottingham Forest, his first match since October 2022, as his team secured a place in thefinal.[52] A week later, he came off the bench to score the equalising goal in a 2–2 draw at home to Leeds United.[53]
2023–24: Removal from squad, loan return to Dortmund
Sancho was not included in United's squad for their game againstArsenal on 3 September 2023, with managerErik ten Hag explaining that Sancho was not picked due to "his performances in training", stating that players "have to reach a level every day at Manchester United". In response, Sancho wrote on social media that "I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself very well in training this week... I've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!"[54] United then announced on 14 September that Sancho would train "away from the first team group pending resolution of a squad discipline issue."[55]
On 11 January 2024, Sancho returned to former club Borussia Dortmund onloan for the rest of the2023–24 season following his desire to leave United after his exclusion from the squad by Ten Hag for disciplinary reasons.[56][57] Dortmund paid United a reported loan fee of €4 million.[58] On 13 January, Sancho featured in his first match since rejoining Dortmund, coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute of the game againstDarmstadt 98, which ended in a 3–0 win, with Sancho providing the assist for a goal fromMarco Reus.[59] On 9 March, Sancho scored againstWerder Bremen, drawing level withTony Woodcock as the highest-scoring Englishman in theBundesliga.[60][61] Four days later, he scored againstPSV, as Dortmund secured their spot in the quarter-finals of theChampions League.[61] On 28 April, Sancho overtook Woodcock to become the highest-scoring Englishman in the Bundesliga, opening the scoring in a 4–1 defeat againstRB Leipzig.[62] This record lasted just under five months, as he would be surpassed byHarry Kane.[63] On 1 May, he completed 12 dribbles againstParis Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final first leg, the most from a player at that round sinceLionel Messi in 2008.[64] On 1 June, he started in theChampions League final for Dortmund atWembley Stadium, playing 87 minutes as they lost 2–0 toReal Madrid.[65]
Following his loan to Dortmund, Sancho returned to training with United following a meeting with Ten Hag, in which they reportedly drew a line under their disagreement.[66] On 10 August 2024, he came on as a substitute in the2024 FA Community Shield againstManchester City, later missing a penalty in the ensuing shoot-out as City triumphed.[67] On 31 August, Sancho signed for fellow Premier League clubChelsea on loan for the2024–25 season, with an obligation to buy.[68][69] The obligation to buy, worth £20 million plus £5 million in performance-related add-ons, would reportedly be triggered if Chelsea finish within the top 14.[70] He made his debut as a half-time substitute forPedro Neto in a league match againstBournemouth on 14 September. After assistingChristopher Nkunku's winning goal in the 86th minute, Sancho was named Man of the Match.[71][72] Sancho started in Chelsea's next two Premier League matches and registered assists in both games, away atWest Ham United on 21 September and at home againstBrighton & Hove Albion on 28 September, both matches ending in victories for Chelsea.[73][74][75] He scored his first goal for Chelsea with the fifth goal in their 5–1 league win overSouthampton on 4 December.[76] He then scored a long-range strike againstTottenham Hotspur on 8 December, with this goal being the first of four to spark a comeback victory for Chelsea.[77]
On 1 May 2025, Sancho scored the opening goal in the first leg of theConference League semi-final, helping Chelsea to a 4–1 away win overDjurgården.[78] Later that month, on 28 May, he netted the third goal for Chelsea in a 4–1 win overReal Betis in the2025 UEFA Conference League final.[79] On 3 June, Chelsea chose not to exercise the option to sign Sancho, paying a £5 million penalty to Manchester United to avoid signing him permanently.[80]
In May 2017, Sancho was part of theEngland under-17 team that reached the final of theUEFA European Under-17 Championship, and was named player of the tournament for his performances.[83] In September 2017, Sancho was named inEngland's squad for the2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup but the player's new German club resisted the call up.[84] The two parties eventually reached an agreement where he would be available for the group stages of the competition, but his participation was not guaranteed if England progressed to the knock out rounds.[85] On 8 October 2017, he scored twice in England U17's first match, againstChile.[86] On 16 October, during England's round of 16 tie againstJapan, he was withdrawn from the competition by Borussia Dortmund.[87][9][8]
On 2 November 2017, Sancho was called up to the England U19 squad for the first time, joining them for2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification matches against theFaroe Islands,Iceland and Group 8's host-nation teamBulgaria.[88] He made his first start at U19 level in the 6–0 victory against the Faroes, lasting seventy minutes before being substituted forBen Brereton;[89] He replaced Brereton in the 66th minute in the win over Iceland, which secured progression to the elite round.[90] He scored the only goal of the match against Bulgaria to help England top their group.[91] Coming on as a substitute for Brereton, Sancho scored the last of the goals in England's 4–1 win overHungary in the first match of the elite round on 21 March 2018.[92]
Following an impressive start to the2018–19 season, Sancho was called up to the England senior squad for the first time on 4 October 2018 in preparation forUEFA Nations League fixtures againstCroatia andSpain.[93] He made his debut as a 78th-minute substitute against Croatia on 12 October, in a 0–0 away draw.[94][8] On 22 March 2019, Sancho started his first competitive match for England in their 5–0 win over theCzech Republic at Wembley Stadium for aUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.[95] During the September internationals, Sancho scored his debut goals for the senior team, a brace, in a 5–3 home victory overKosovo in a Euro 2020 qualifier on 10 September.[96]
On 11 July 2021, Sancho was brought on as a 120th-minute substitute forKyle Walker during theUEFA Euro 2020 final againstItaly. He took England's fourth penalty in the subsequent shoot-out, which was saved byGianluigi Donnarumma. Following the 3–2 loss on penalties, Sancho along withMarcus Rashford andBukayo Saka (who also missed penalties) were subjected to racially abusive messages on social media.[97]
Analyses from 2020 described Sancho as a quick, highly technical, and creative player, with excellentdribbling skills and ball control, and he received praise for his trickery and use offeints in one-on-one situations. He was described as one of the world's best young players during his Dortmund days,[99][100][101][102] being known in particular for his ability to get past opponents and create chances for teammates as well as scoring goals himself.[102]
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