WILFRIED ZAHA has slammed former Crystal Palace team-mate Jean-Philippe Mateta for giving a “disgusting” interview.
Zaha and Mateta played together for two-and-a-half seasons at Selhurst Park before the former left for Galatasaray in 2023.
Mateta struggled during his initial 18-month loan spell at Palace, scoring just six times in the Premier League.
But the Frenchman – who has four goals in 12 games for the Eagles this season – has since gone from strength to strength, and earned his maiden international call-up aged 28 last week.
Boss Didier Deschamps handed Mateta his Les Bleus debut in a 3-0 win over Azerbaijan on Friday, with the 6ft 4in striker then scoring on his first international start during Monday night’s 2-2 draw at Iceland.
Upon being selected by his country, Mateta recently told French paper L’Equipe: “At Crystal Palace, right at the start, when I wasn’t even playing, I spoke about the France team in the dressing room and I had team-mates like Wilfried Zaha who were laughing.
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“They said that I was mad to think about the France team when I wasn’t even playing at Crystal Palace, but I responded saying that it was my objective and that I simply had to play to show what I could do.”
Zaha, 32, was left seething when he saw Mateta’s comments.
The former Selhurst Park hero said in a social media video: “My head’s on fire. 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.”
Zaha then sought to clarify the initial incident, claiming that he was one of 10 players to express scepticism at Mateta’s France chances, given the players ahead of him in the pecking order at the time.
The winger, who now plays for Charlotte in MLS, also pointed out that he had congratulated Mateta on his call-up with an Instagram comment.
Visibly upset, Zaha concluded: “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 gonna do that?”
Wilfried Zaha’s rant in full
My head’s on fire. 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. So wouldn’t you be shocked, especially with football banter, when your mates, wouldn’t you be shocked if this person who asked this to 10 people, I swear to you, 10 Crystal Palace players were there when this conversation was had.
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. 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, on his posts. 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 gonna do that?
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