Wilfried Zaha, a Crystal Palace hero, has spoken out after former teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta claimed the winger “laughed” at his chances of ever playing for France while the two were at Selhurst Park. For a long time, the Eagles forward appeared to struggle to break through the glass ceiling; nevertheless, he hushed the critics last week by scoring on his debut under Didier Deschamps in a 2-2 draw against Iceland.
“I always believed [in playing for the France national team],” Mateta told French site L’Equipe following the game. “At Crystal Palace, even from the start, when I wasn’t even playing, I talked about the France team in the dressing room, and teammates like Wilfried Zaha laughed. They told me I was crazy to think about the France team when I wasn’t even playing for Crystal Palace.”
The Eagles are now experiencing their most successful period as a football club, having won the FA Cup last season – their first major prize – before going on to win the Community Shield and embark on an 18-game undefeated streak that included two triumphs over Liverpool. However, people in SE25 can’t help but imagine how they’d look with a prime Zaha back in the dressing room – a pipe dream that appears increasingly unrealistic as the players’ relationship deteriorates.
Wilfried Zaha Suddenly Breaks Silence on Mateta Claims
Zaha will be remembered as one of Palace’s best ever players, having scored 90 goals and given 54 assists in 458 appearances, often single-handedly rescuing the club from relegation during the Roy Hodgson era. Now on loan at Charlotte FC in the MLS from his parent club Galatasaray, which he signed on a free transfer from the South London side two summers ago, the winger has been forced to reflect on some of his time at Selhurst Park.
While admitting that he made a joke regarding Mateta’s international prospects, the Ivory Coast international has denied that the comment was meant seriously, saying that it was simply light-hearted banter among friends. In an explanation video on social media, he stated (see the complete video below):
“I’m sorry, but my head is on fire, and I have to resolve this Mateta matter, even though he doesn’t want to. I chatted with him, and he’s fine with it. It’s evident to me that while I was playing for Crystal Palace, these folks were not pleased with me. I never made anyone feel like sh**. I would never abuse anyone or say they wouldn’t make it, so it’s horrible to see someone I considered a friend do that [make those allegations].
He went on to say, “The conversation was about his possibilities of playing for France when he wasn’t playing for Palace – and there were ten players involved – and we laughed it off. We were kidding about how impossible it would be, especially with [Karim] Benzema and all these other players at that position.
“But we never once stated ‘you’re not going to make it’, so wouldn’t you be surprised, especially with football banter, if your friend asked this to ten people and acted as if I hated them? Why did he mention my name? Is it only because Zaha has the largest name?”
“It’s nasty, and I’d never hate on somebody. I even thanked him on Instagram, so hearing that tale is like, “What the f****?” Did you detest me the entire time and chose to use Zaha as a comeback story?”
After completing a two-minute film by saying, “This is why I don’t have football buddies. This is why I keep myself to myself.” It’s evident there’s a lot of animosity between the two Palace icons, who played 39 games together yet scored only one goal. Mateta initially struggled to adjust to English football following his £8 million move from Mainz in January 2022.
With 32 goals in his last 79 Premier League games, the Frenchman appears to be the Zaha reincarnation SE25 had hoped for in terms of attacking performance.
However, with dependency becoming less of an issue in a roster that now includes Ismaila Sarr, Adam Wharton, and a world-class defence, the Eagles have never looked better. Their striker is now just one of several excellent assets in a talented squad, a far cry from Zaha’s days as the south London club’s all-or-nothing player.
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