Former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has reacted to claims made by Jean-Philippe Mateta that he was laughed at by teammates — including Zaha — when he expressed his dream of playing for the French national team.
Zaha, who now plays for Galatasaray, took to social media to address the comments, saying he was deeply disappointed by Mateta’s remarks.
“I’m sorry but my head’s on fire. I’ve got to clear up this Mateta situation because he doesn’t want to — I spoke to him,” Zaha began.
He continued:
“This just shows me that when I was at Crystal Palace, some people clearly weren’t happy for me. I never made anyone feel small or said someone wouldn’t make it. That’s not who I am.”
Zaha added that while his passion on the pitch was often visible, it never translated into disrespect for his teammates.
“It’s disgusting when I see someone that I thought was a friend do that,” he said.
Zaha’s response comes after Mateta claimed in an interview that some Palace players mocked him for aspiring to play for France — a dream he has since fulfilled following his recent call-up to the French national team.
