Djed Spence
Active- Current or last club
- Inter Milan
- Country (nationality)
- England
- League or competition
- Serie A
- Position
- Full-back * wing-back
- How is the religion known?
- Stated publicly by the player
Spence became the first Muslim footballer to represent England at a FIFA World Cup tournament in 2026.
We list a player’s religion only where they have spoken about it publicly or it has been reliably reported, and we link our sources. If something is wrong, or a player’s views have changed, please tell us and we will review it.
Table of Contents
What religion is Djed Spence?
Djed Spence is an English professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. According to the BBC, Spence made sporting history by becoming the first openly Muslim player to represent the senior England men’s national football team during an international debut against Serbia in September 2025. He later became the first Muslim player to represent England at a 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Djed Spence plays as a right-back or wing-back for the Italian club Inter Milan. He is a product of the Fulham youth academy. Spence went on a series of different loan spells for various European clubs, including Nottingham Forest, Rennes, Leeds United, and Genoa, before earning a regular spot at Tottenham Hotspur. During his time in London, he won the UEFA Europa League trophy. In August 2026, he joined Serie A side Inter Milan for a reported fee of €31.5 million. An English citizen, Spence has also played for the England national football team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, earning 14 caps.
Early life
Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence was born on August 9, 2000, in Kensington, London, to a Jamaican father and a Kenyan mother. He has an older sister named Karla-Simone Spence, who is a well-known British film and television actress. He spent his childhood in Peckham and Croydon, beginning his youth football development with Peckham Town at age six before joining Junior Elite at age 11.
In 2012, Spence first joined the Fulham youth academy as a schoolboy prospect. Following Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League in 2018, the club released Spence from its youth setup. He subsequently secured a move to Middlesbrough to continue his professional development.
Club career
Spence signed with Middlesbrough in July 2018 and made his first-team debut in the EFL Cup that August, coming on as a substitute in a penalty-shootout win over Notts County. He made his first EFL Championship start on 7 December 2019 against Charlton Athletic and scored his first senior goal 19 days later on Boxing Day to secure a 1–0 win over Huddersfield Town. His performances earned him the EFL Young Player of the Month award for January 2020. In total, Spence made over 60 appearances for Middlesbrough before joining Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal in September 2021. During the 2021–22 campaign, he established himself as a key player as Nottingham Forest secured promotion to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs. He concluded the season with 3 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions, earning selections in both the EFL Championship Team of the Season and the PFA Championship Team of the Year.
Tottenham Hotspur
In July 2022, Tottenham Hotspur signed Spence from Middlesbrough on a five-year contract for an initial fee of £12.5 million with a further £7.5 million available in add-ons. His time under then-manager Antonio Conte did not go to plan. As a result, the club sent him out on three separate loans to rebuild his form and confidence. He spent time at French club Rennes, English side Leeds United, and Italian team Genoa, where he played 16 Serie A matches.
He returned to Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 2024–25 campaign, subsequently establishing himself in the first-team squad following a series of defensive injuries. During the season, he recorded his first Premier League goal for the club and helped Tottenham Hotspur win the UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao in May 2025. Following his breakout season, Spence signed a new long-term contract extension with the club in August 2025.
Inter Milan
On 15 August 2026, Inter Milan signed Spence from Tottenham to a five-year contract until 30 June 2031. The transfer was reported at a region of €31.5 million, with Tottenham retaining a 10 percent sell-on clause. Spence will replace Denzel Dumfries, who had left for Real Madrid earlier that summer.
International career
Djed Spence played for England’s under-21 team between 2022 and 2023. He made his senior international debut for the England national team on 9 September 2025 during a 5–0 FIFA World Cup qualification victory against Serbia.
He was subsequently selected by manager Thomas Tuchel for England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad. Spence featured in all eight of England’s matches during the final tournament in North America, which included a starting appearance in the semi-final against Argentina and a victory over France in the third-place play-off match.
Sources
- World Cup 2026 (opens in a new tab) Aljazeera
Sources are linked so you can check each claim yourself. Beliefs and public statements can change, so please check the source for the latest.
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