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Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha (born 10 November 1992) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC, on loan from Süper Lig club Galatasaray, and the Ivory Coast national team.
A product of Crystal Palace's youth academy, Zaha made his senior debut for the then Championship, now Premier League, side in 2010. He scored 18 goals in 143 appearances in just over three seasons with the club, and was instrumental in their promotion to the Premier League in 2013. He subsequently joined Manchester United for £10 million, becoming Sir Alex Ferguson's last signing for the club, and won the Community Shield on his debut.
Having made just four appearances in his only season in Manchester and enduring a brief loan spell at Cardiff City, Zaha returned to Crystal Palace in 2014. He went on to score 72 goals in 315 appearances for the club over the next nine seasons, becoming the club's tenth-highest all-time goalscorer, and their highest ever goalscorer in the Premier League, helping to establish the club in the top-flight before his departure in 2023.
Born in the Ivory Coast, Zaha grew up in England. He made his debut for the England national team in 2012, appearing in two non-competitive matches (the latter of which came in 2013). After not playing for England for four years, he switched to play for Ivory Coast in 2016, and represented the nation at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2025.
He played football at school, and joined the Crystal Palace academy aged 8.
In March 2012, Zaha was voted The Football League's Young Player of the Year. "Football League Awards winners announced" . The Football League. 11 March 2012.
In the latter part of the season, manager Dougie Freedman opted to play Zaha as a striker and on 21 April he scored in a 2–2 draw with Reading, in a match that saw Reading secure the EFL Championship title. "Reading 2–2 Crystal Palace" . BBC Sport. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Zaha was voted Crystal Palace Young Player of the Year for a second time in a row. During this season, he made 48 appearances while scoring 9 goals and recording 5 assists.
On 5 March 2013, Zaha scored his first goal for Crystal Palace since being loaned back from Manchester United, in a 4–2 victory against promotion rivals Hull City. On 13 May 2013, in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Brighton & Hove Albion, Zaha scored two goals in the second half to put Crystal Palace into the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. In the play-off final on 27 May 2013, Zaha won a penalty that was converted to secure Crystal Palace a Premier League spot for the 2013–14 season.
On 11 August 2013, Zaha made his debut for Manchester United in the 2013 FA Community Shield win against Wigan Athletic. He was included in the starting line-up and played 61 minutes before being replaced by Antonio Valencia He did not play again until 29 October, starting in a 4–0 win over Norwich City in the third round of the League Cup at Old Trafford. His Premier League debut was on 7 December in a 1–0 home loss to Newcastle United, as a substitute for Nani shortly after his team conceded.
On 31 January 2014, Zaha completed a loan move to Cardiff City for the remainder of the 2013–14 season after being left out of favour by manager David Moyes.
At the end of the season, following Moyes' sacking, Zaha said that he was never given a chance by the Scot. He contrasted his experience with that of Raheem Sterling, another young attacker who was given a chance by Liverpool after a difficult start. He also said that he was upset by false and malicious online rumours about his personal life.
Zaha played regularly for Crystal Palace throughout the season, finishing the season with four goals and two assists as Crystal Palace finished the league in 10th place.
Despite their poor start, Palace stayed up with a game in hand under new manager Roy Hodgson, with the combination between Zaha and fellow winger Andros Townsend a key factor. He was named their Player of the Year for the third time in a row, a feat only done before by goalkeeper Julián Speroni.
After scoring a winning goal against Huddersfield Town in September 2018, Zaha publicly complained about what he considered to be a lack of appropriate protection by referees against fouls, saying that he would need a broken leg before any action would be taken. Data proved that in the last five years, he was the second most fouled player in the league after Eden Hazard. In October, Zaha was the victim of racist abuse and death threats following a match. Zaha received a second yellow card, the first for mass confrontation with James Ward-Prowse, and the other for dissent on referee Andre Marriner against Southampton on 30 January 2019.
In June 2019, he was linked with a transfer to Arsenal, who made a £40 million offer for the player, which Crystal Palace rejected as too low. In October, he received racial abuse on social media.`
On 13 March 2021, Zaha became the first Premier League player not to take a knee prior to kick-off in Palace's 1–0 win over West Bromwich Albion. Zaha made a statement at the Financial Times' Business of Football summit in February saying that "As a society, I feel we should be encouraging better education in schools, and social media companies should be taking stronger action against people who abuse others online – not just footballers".
On 16 May, Zaha scored his eleventh league goal of the season in a 3–2 win against Aston Villa, setting a new personal best for goals in a Premier League season.
Zaha finished the season as 9th top scorer in the league with 14 goals, to be his new personal best record.
Zaha's contract expired at the end of the season. Despite being offered a four-year extension worth £200,000 a week by Crystal Palace, Zaha confirmed in an Instagram statement on 23 July 2023 that he would be departing the club after a total of eighteen years.
Zaha made his Süper Lig debut against Kayserispor on 12 August. On 20 September, he marked his Champions League group stage debut with an assist for Tetê's goal in a 2–2 home draw against Copenhagen. On 3 October, he scored his first Champions League goal against his former club Manchester United in a 3–2 win at Old Trafford for Galatasaray on his first start in the competition.
When Zaha was in good form for Crystal Palace under Hodgson ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the manager said that he regretted not fielding the winger in a competitive game to tie him to England.
In January, Zaha was named in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his debut against Sweden in a friendly in Abu Dhabi on 8 January, coming on as a half-time substitute and assisting Giovanni Sio's goal in a 2–1 win. Three days later, against Uganda at the same venue, he made his first international start and scored his first goal in a 3–0 win. At the tournament in Gabon, the reigning champion Elephants were eliminated at the group stage, with Zaha starting each game.
Zaha was also called up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. He scored two goals at the tournament, one in a 4–1 win over Namibia in the final group game, and the game's only goal in the last 16 match against Mali. The Elephants were defeated on penalties in the quarter final by the eventual winners, Algeria.
Zaha has often been accused of diving; however, Roy Hodgson, who managed him at club level for Crystal Palace and internationally for England, has stated: "Wilf Zaha does not dive for penalties. He gets knocked over sometimes – sometimes he gets knocked over or unbalanced without it being a penalty or a foul – because he runs at such speed and has such agility with the ball. But he certainly doesn't dive." Hodgson also said that Zaha's characterisation as a diver is because of a "campaign" and it causes fouls against him to be dismissed by referees.
He is a co-chairman of Isthmian League South East club AFC Croydon Athletic, alongside Danny Young and Stormzy, better known as Stormzy.
Manchester United
Galatasaray
Individual
Return to Crystal Palace
2014–15 season
On 28 August 2014, Zaha agreed to a season-long loan deal with Crystal Palace. Two days later, in the first match of his loan, he scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 3–3 draw at Newcastle United. On 2 February 2015, the final day of the winter transfer window, Zaha's move to Palace was made permanent with the signing of a five-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £3 million, rising to £6 million with add-ons; Manchester United would also receive a percentage of the fee if Palace sell Zaha in the future. United wouldn't receive this sell-on fee as Zaha would join Galatasaray on a free transfer in 2023.
2015–16 season
Again, Zaha was a regular for Crystal Palace in this season, making 34 appearances, scoring two goals and recording one assist, while Crystal Palace finished in 15th place. He helped Crystal Palace reach the 2016 FA Cup Final, by playing in every match since the third round entry and scoring two goals along the way. Zaha played the whole 120 minutes in the final, but could not help Palace to a victory, as Manchester United won 2–1. Zaha won the Crystal Palace Player of the Year award for the first time.
2016–17 season
On 26 December 2016, Zaha was denied a penalty in the closing minutes against Watford. Some speculated that Zaha had overplayed the foul or taken a dive. After the match Watford's mascot attempted to rile Zaha up by mimicking a dive in front of him. On 14 May 2017, Zaha scored the opening goal in the third minute of the home game against Hull City that simultaneously mathematically secured Crystal Palace's top flight status and relegated Hull City to the Championship.. LondonNewsOnline. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017. Archived on 21 September 2017 After another outstanding season with The Eagles, Zaha won Crystal Palace's Player of the Year award for the second year running. On 26 May 2017, Zaha signed a new five-year contract with Crystal Palace.
2017–18 season
On 14 October 2017, Zaha returned to Palace's starting line-up for the first time in two months and scored to open a 2–1 win over Chelsea to give the Eagles their first points of the season. He was Premier League Player of the Month for April 2018 for his four goals and assist while playing up front; on 14 April he scored twice in the first half of a 3–2 win over rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
2018–19 season
In Palace's first game of the new season on 11 August, Zaha scored the second goal of a 2–0 win at Fulham. It was his 23rd Premier League goal for the club, drawing level with Chris Armstrong as their top scorer in the competition's history. Four days later he signed a new five-year contract at Crystal Palace. On 26 August, with a consolation goal in a 2–1 loss at Watford, he overtook Armstrong to become Palace's Premier League top scorer.
2019–20 season
Zaha played in all 38 league matches with Crystal Palace, having a disappointing campaign, scoring only 4 goals, including a long-distance goal against Chelsea.
2020–21 season
On 12 September 2020, Zaha scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Southampton. On 19 September, he scored a brace in a 3–1 away win over his former team Manchester United.
2021–22 season
On 27 September 2021, Zaha marked his 400th appearance for Crystal Palace with his 70th goal in a 1–1 draw with rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. On 30 October, Zaha became the first player to score 50 top-flight goals for Crystal Palace in a 2–0 win at Manchester City.
2022–23 season
Zaha scored seven goals in only 27 appearances in the Premier League. He missed several matches due to injury in February and April. He also missed the last two games of the season, having been forced off with an injury in a 2–0 win over AFC Bournemouth on 13 May 2023; he played a crucial role in setting up the first goal on what turned out to be his 457th and final appearance for the club.
Galatasaray
On 23 July 2023, Süper Lig side Galatasaray announced that Zaha arrived in Istanbul to complete his transfer to Turkey. On the next day, he signed a three-year contract with the club who said that Zaha would be paid a signing-on fee of €2.35 million and an annual salary of €4.35 million.
Loan to Lyon
On 30 August 2024, Zaha joined Lyon on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season. Lyon paid Galatasaray a loan fee of €3 million. Following a mutual agreement between Lyon and Galatasaray, his loan was terminated on 22 January 2025.
Loan to Charlotte FC
On 22 January 2025, it was announced that Zaha would join Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC on a one-year loan, with an option to extend the loan until June 2026. In his 4 March debut against Atlanta United FC, Zaha scored one goal in his team's 2–0 win.
On 1 June, he played his 15th league game, which triggered the loan extension until 30 June 2026.
International career
Zaha was eligible to represent both the Ivory Coast, the country of his birth, and England, where he grew up.
England (2011–2013)
His success over the course of his first full season resulted in a call-up to the England under-19 team for their match against Germany in February 2011. He was called up to the under-21 team on 23 February 2012. "Zaha earns first U21s call" . The Football Association. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012. He made his debut in a 4–0 win against Belgium on 29 February, assisting Henri Lansbury for the third goal. "England 4–0 Belgium" . BBC Sport. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012. On 11 November 2012, Zaha was called up to the senior team by manager Roy Hodgson for a friendly match against Sweden on 14 November. He came on as a substitute for fellow debutant Raheem Sterling in the 83rd minute. "England squad update" . The Football Association. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
Ivory Coast (2016–present)
On 27 November 2016, the Ivorian Football Federation confirmed that Zaha had sent correspondence to FIFA to switch his international football allegiance from England to the Ivory Coast. "Wilfried Zaha swaps England for the Ivory Coast" . Sky Sports. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016. In response to this development, England manager Gareth Southgate indicated he would try to dissuade Zaha from changing allegiance due to his consistent club form.
Style of play
Zaha can play as a forward or as a winger, usually on the left where he can cut inside with his right foot. In 2018, Adrian Clarke of the Premier League's website opined that he "offers more threat" as a frontman, going on to add that "his ultra-mobile combination with Andros Townsend generates more goals and points", citing "the speed, athleticism and unpredictable movement of the Zaha–Townsend axis is more difficult for opponents to contain". This often forces defenders to resort to stopping him by committing fouls, with Zaha having induced the most red cards for opponents in the history of the Premier League.
Personal life
Zaha married Paige Bannister in July 2023.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
!rowspan="2" Club
!rowspan="2" Season
!colspan="3" League
!colspan="2" National cup
!colspan="2" League cup
!colspan="2" Continental
!colspan="2" Other
!colspan="2" Total Crystal Palace 2009–10 EFL Championship 0 2010–11 Championship 1 2011–12 Championship 9 2012–13 Championship 8 Manchester United 2013–14 Premier League 0 2014–15 Premier League 0 Cardiff City (loan) 2013–14 Premier League 0 Crystal Palace 2014–15 Premier League 4 2015–16 Premier League 5 2016–17 Premier League 7 2017–18 Premier League 9 2018–19 Premier League 10 2019–20 Premier League 4 2020–21 Premier League 11 2021–22 Premier League 15 2022–23 Premier League 7 Galatasaray 2023–24 Süper Lig 10 2024–25 Süper Lig 0 Lyon (loan) 2024–25 Ligue 1 0 Charlotte FC (loan) 2025 Major League Soccer 10
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals England 0 0 Ivory Coast 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
+ International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
Honours
Crystal Palace
See also
External links
Categories: 1992 Births, Living People, Black British Sportsmen, 21st-century Black British People, English People Of Ivorian Descent, Ivorian People Of English Descent, Ivorian Emigrants To The United Kingdom, Footballers From Abidjan, Sportspeople From Thornton Heath, Footballers From The London Borough Of Croydon, English Men's Footballers, Ivorian Men's Footballers, Men's Association Football Wingers, Men's Association Football Forwards, Crystal Palace F.c. Players, Manchester United F.c. Players, Cardiff City F.c. Players, Galatasaray S.k. Footballers, Olympique Lyonnais Players, Charlotte Fc Players, English Football League Players, Premier League Players, Süper Lig Players, Ligue 1 Players, Designated Players, England Men's Youth International Footballers, England Men's Under-21 International Footballers, England Men's International Footballers, Ivory Coast Men's International Footballers, Dual Internationalists, 2017 Africa Cup Of Nations Players, 2019 Africa Cup Of Nations Players, 2021 Africa Cup Of Nations Players, 2025 Africa Cup Of Nations Players, English Expatriate Men's Footballers, English Expatriate Sportspeople In Turkey, English Expatriate Sportspeople In France, Ivorian Expatriate Men's Footballers, Ivorian Expatriate Sportspeople In Turkey, Ivorian Expatriate Sportspeople In France, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Turkey, Expatriate Men's Footballers In France, 21st-century English Sportsmen, 21st-century Ivorian Sportsmen, Ivorian Expatriate Sportspeople In The United States, English Expatriate Sportspeople In The United States, Expatriate Men's Soccer Players In The United States, Major League Soccer Players
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