Franco Umeh

Franco Umeh-Chibueze (born 26 February 2005) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as winger or forward for club Portsmouth.

Club career Cork City Umeh started his career at Irish club Cork City and signed a professional contract with a €75,000 release clause in 2022. That year, he made his senior league debut for the club as a 17-year-old in June 2022 against Longford Town. He scored 1 goal in 4 appearances in all competitions at for the club at senior level.

Crystal Palace Umeh joined Crystal Palace in January 2023. He was part of the Palace U21 team which won the Premier League International Cup, scoring the crucial goal in a 1–0 win over Jong PSV in May 2024. Umeh was called up to the Crystal Palace first team squad on their pre-season tour in the summer of 2024. He subsequently became a regular member of the first team squad during the early part of the 2024–25 season making the bench for several Premier League matches, but was not brought on to make his debut.

Portsmouth On 1 September 2025, Umeh joined Portsmouth permanently on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Umeh had to wait over 4 months to make his debut after signing with a hamstring injury, making his debut on 29 December 2025 in a 2–1 victory over Charlton Athletic at Fratton Park. On 11 January 2026, he came off the bench in a 4–1 FA Cup loss to Arsenal before tearing his hamstring, with the injury ending his season.

International career Born in Ireland, Umeh is of Nigerian descent. Since 2021, he has won caps at youth level for the Republic of Ireland from the U17s team through to the U19s. He made his debut for the Republic of Ireland U21 side against Scotland U21 on 21 March 2025, in a 2–0 defeat.

Personal life His brother Jaden currently plays for the Benfica under 19s & 23s, while growing up in Ireland they both came through the youth system at Cork City. Jaden received his first Ireland Senior cap in May 2026 against Qatar

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