Crystal Palace's greatest ever player — the forward who was released by United and became a Premier League icon.
Wilfried Armel Zaha was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in 1992 and moved to London at four. Crystal Palace's academy produced him and he broke through at 18. Manchester United paid £15 million for him in January 2013 but he barely played — loaned to Cardiff and then returning to Palace for £3 million in 2014. His decade at Crystal Palace produced Palace's all-time record for appearances and goals — making him the most important player in the club's history. He was consistently voted among the best players outside the top six clubs. His direct dribbling — running at defenders with the explicit intent of beating them — was one of the most challenging individual skills to defend against in the Premier League for a decade. He chose to represent Ivory Coast over England internationally after being capped twice by England's under-21 team. He reached the Africa Cup of Nations final with Ivory Coast in 2015. His departure from Palace in 2023 — on a free transfer to Galatasaray — ended one of the most loyal individual careers in Premier League history.
Championship play-off (2013)
Career Honours
- Championship play-off (2013)
- Africa Cup of Nations finalist (Ivory Coast 2015)
- Palace all-time record appearance holder