Crystal Palace beef! Wilfried Zaha hits out at Jean-Philippe Mateta after ‘nasty’ and ‘disgusting’ claim | OneFootball

Mateta claimed Zaha laughed at his dream of playing for France while the pair were team-mates at Palace

Wilfred Zaha has hit out at Jean-Philippe Mateta in a furious rant about his former Crystal Palace team-mate.

Zaha has criticised Mateta for giving a “nasty” and “disgusting” interview in which Mateta claimed Zaha laughed at his dream of playing for France.

Zaha, who played with Mateta at Palace for two years before he joined Galatasaray in 2023, has been left furious with the comments and has posted a video to hit back.

Mateta this week scored his first goal for France

AFP via Getty Images

“My head’s on fire,” said Zaha, who now plays for MLS side Charlotte.

“I have to clear up this Mateta situation. Because he doesn’t want to. I spoke to him and he doesn’t want to, he’s okay with it.

“This just shows me, all the time I played for Crystal Palace, people watching me, it’s clear that they weren’t happy for me.

“Because I never made anyone feel like ‘s***’. I never… everyone knows me. The only time on the pitch is when I’m passionate and all that stuff. But I’d never bully someone or say someone won’t make it here or won’t make it at all or nothing like that.

“It’s disgusting when I see someone that I thought was a friend do that.

“The conversation that was had was his chances of playing for France way back when he wasn’t playing for Palace and there were 10 players that he had this conversation with.

“And as friends we laughed it off, but we were joking around. That it’s going to be difficult, especially with Benzema, all these different players playing in those positions.

“But we never ever once said you’re never going to make it.

“Wouldn’t you be shocked if this person has made out that there’s some sort of hate from me? Why would he say my name? When there was 10 people there. Is it because Zaha is the biggest name?

“I do not understand, it’s disgusting. I’ve never hated on anyone. So now I’m getting messages, ‘oh you’re not laughing now about Mateta’. I couldn’t care less, well done to him.

“I even congratulated him publicly on his Instagram. So to hear that story come out, it’s like what the f***?

“Did you dislike me the whole time? For you to come out with this, your come up story, I’m going to use Zaha as my come up story.

“It’s nasty, man. It is nasty.

“This is why I don’t have football friends. This is why I keep myself to myself because how’s he going to do that?”