Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha was born on 10 November 1992 and is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Ivory Coast national team.
35 Facts About Wilfried Zaha
2.
Wilfried Zaha remained on loan at Palace until the end of the season, helping them return to the Premier League.
3.
Wilfried Zaha has since become the club's 12th-highest goal scorer.
4.
Wilfried Zaha made his debut for the England national team in 2012, appearing in two non-competitive matches.
5.
Wilfried Zaha was educated at Whitehorse Manor Junior School, Thornton Heath and Selsdon High School, Selsdon.
6.
Wilfried Zaha played football at school, and joined the Crystal Palace academy aged 12.
7.
Wilfried Zaha assisted Kieron Cadogan in the home match against Queens Park Rangers in October and James Vaughan in the away match against Watford in February 2011.
8.
Wilfried Zaha ended the season playing a total of 44 matches, while scoring 1 goal and having 2 assists in all competitions.
9.
In March 2012, Wilfried Zaha was voted The Football League's Young Player of the Year.
10.
Wilfried Zaha scored his first two goals of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2012.
11.
On 25 January 2013, Wilfried Zaha agreed to join Premier League club Manchester United, and would immediately be loaned back to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the season.
12.
On 11 August 2013, Wilfried Zaha made his debut for Manchester United in the 2013 FA Community Shield against Wigan Athletic.
13.
Wilfried Zaha was included in the starting line-up and played 61 minutes before being replaced by Antonio Valencia as he won his first major honour in football.
14.
Wilfried Zaha contrasted his experience with that of Raheem Sterling, another young attacker who was given a chance by Liverpool after a difficult start.
15.
On 28 August 2014, Wilfried Zaha agreed to a season-long loan deal with Crystal Palace.
16.
Wilfried 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.
17.
Again, Wilfried 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.
18.
Wilfried Zaha 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.
19.
Wilfried Zaha won the Crystal Palace Player of the Year award for the first time.
20.
On 26 December 2016, Wilfried Zaha was denied a penalty in the closing minutes against Watford.
21.
Some speculated that Wilfried Zaha had overplayed the foul or taken a dive.
22.
On 14 May 2017, Wilfried 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.
23.
On 26 May 2017, Wilfried Zaha signed a new five-year contract with Crystal Palace.
24.
Wilfried Zaha was named their Player of the Year for the third time in a row, a feat only done before by goalkeeper Julian Speroni.
25.
Wilfried Zaha received a red card for dissent against Southampton on 30 January 2019.
26.
Wilfried 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.
27.
Wilfried Zaha was eligible to represent both the Ivory Coast, the country of his birth, and England, where he grew up.
28.
Wilfried Zaha was called up to the under-21 team on 23 February 2012.
29.
On 11 November 2012, Wilfried Zaha was called up to the senior team by manager Roy Hodgson for a friendly match against Sweden on 14 November.
30.
Wilfried Zaha came on as a substitute for fellow debutant Raheem Sterling in the 83rd minute.
31.
When Wilfried 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.
32.
On 27 November 2016, the Ivorian Football Federation confirmed that Wilfried Zaha had sent correspondence to FIFA to switch his international football allegiance from England to the Ivory Coast.
33.
In January, Wilfried Zaha was named in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
34.
At the tournament in Gabon, the reigning champion Elephants were eliminated at the group stage, with Wilfried Zaha starting each game.
35.
Wilfried Zaha was called up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.