“Controversy”- Crystal Palace hero wades into Wilfried Zaha and Jean-Philippe Mateta row with telling remark

“Controversy”- Crystal Palace hero wades into Wilfried Zaha and Jean-Philippe Mateta row with telling remark

Controversy erupted at Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta appeared to take a swipe at club legend Wilfried Zaha — but one former Eagle, Patrick van Aanholt, admits he “couldn’t help laughing” at the fallout.

As Palace continue their impressive resurgence under Oliver Glasner, drama struck when Mateta, recently called up to the France national team, made surprising claims about Zaha’s attitude toward his international ambitions.

Speaking to L’Équipe, Mateta recalled:

“When I first arrived at Crystal Palace and wasn’t even playing, I talked in the dressing room about wanting to play for France. Some teammates, like Wilfried Zaha, laughed.

They said I was crazy to think about the France team when I wasn’t even playing for Palace. But I told them it was my goal — I just needed to prove myself.”

The comments didn’t sit well with Zaha, who left Palace in 2023 and is currently on loan at Charlotte FC from Galatasaray. The Ivorian forward quickly fired back on social media, denying Mateta’s version of events and calling the accusation “disgusting.”

“Everyone knows me,” Zaha said in a passionate video response. “I’m emotional on the pitch, yes — but I’ve never bullied anyone or told them they wouldn’t make it. It hurts to see someone I thought was a friend say something like that.”

Former Palace full-back Patrick van Aanholt, who played alongside both men between 2017 and 2021, defended Zaha and downplayed the feud.

“I don’t think Zaha would say something like that,” Van Aanholt told ESPN. “He’s not that type of person. Maybe there were a few jokes — that’s normal in any dressing room. Honestly, I just had to laugh when I saw the story.”

Fortunately, the tension between Zaha and Mateta appears to have cooled. Later in October, Mateta confirmed the pair had spoken privately, saying that “everything is good” between them now.

For Palace, the focus now turns back to football. The Eagles face AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League on Thursday before hosting Brighton in Sunday’s heated derby — with Glasner’s men hoping to keep their strong momentum and avoid any more dressing-room distractions.