Former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has fiercely denied accusations from former teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta that he mocked Mateta’s ambition to play for the French national team, calling the claim “disgusting” and expressing a profound sense of betrayal.
Zaha, speaking out after Mateta’s interview with French newspaper ‘L’Equipe’, stated his “head is exploding” over the situation. He felt personally attacked by Mateta’s account.
Mateta had told ‘L’Equipe’ that upon his arrival at Crystal Palace, when he was not playing regularly, he mentioned his dream of joining the French national team. He claimed Zaha and other teammates laughed at him, suggesting he was “crazy” to harbor such aspirations while not even securing a place in the club’s lineup. Mateta said he insisted it was his goal and he just needed to play to prove himself.
Zaha offered a different context, explaining the conversation occurred among “about 10 players” when Mateta was not featuring for Palace. He described the exchange as a “joke” between friends, where they “half-jokingly” suggested it would be difficult to break into the French squad given strong competition from players like Karim Benzema.
The forward insisted he “never said ‘you won’t get there'” and stressed that he would “never make fun of someone.” Zaha questioned why Mateta singled him out by name, implying it was only “because Zaha is a big name.”
Zaha, who previously publicly congratulated Mateta on his achievements, expressed disbelief at the accusation. He described Mateta’s actions as “disgusting” and lamented the situation, stating, “That’s why I don’t have friends in football. That’s why I keep things to myself.”