1. Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha was born on 10 November 1992 and is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC, on loan from Super Lig club Galatasaray, and the Ivory Coast national team.
40 Facts About Wilfried Zaha
1. 2.
Wilfried Zaha 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.
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Wilfried Zaha 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.
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Wilfried Zaha made his debut for the England national team in 2012, appearing in two non-competitive matches.
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Wilfried Zaha was educated at Whitehorse Manor Junior School, Thornton Heath and Selsdon High School, Selsdon.
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Wilfried Zaha played football at school, and joined the Crystal Palace academy aged 8.
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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.
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Wilfried Zaha ended the season playing a total of 44 matches, while scoring 1 goal and having 2 assists in all competitions.
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In March 2012, Wilfried Zaha was voted The Football League's Young Player of the Year.
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Wilfried Zaha scored his first two goals of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2012.
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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.
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On 11 August 2013, Wilfried Zaha made his debut for Manchester United in the 2013 FA Community Shield against Wigan Athletic.
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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.
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Wilfried Zaha contrasted his experience with that of Raheem Sterling, another young attacker who was given a chance by Liverpool after a difficult start.
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On 28 August 2014, Wilfried Zaha agreed to a season-long loan deal with Crystal Palace.
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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.
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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.
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Some speculated that Wilfried Zaha had overplayed the foul or taken a dive.
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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.
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On 26 May 2017, Wilfried Zaha signed a new five-year contract with Crystal Palace.
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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.
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Wilfried Zaha received a red card for dissent against Southampton on 30 January 2019.
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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.
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Wilfried Zaha finished the season as 9th top scorer in the league with 14 goals, to be his new personal best record.
28.
Wilfried Zaha scored seven goals in only 27 appearances in the Premier League.
29.
On 23 July 2023, Super Lig side Galatasaray announced that Wilfried Zaha arrived in Istanbul to complete his transfer to Turkey.
30.
On 22 January 2025, it was announced that Wilfried Zaha would join Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC on a one-year loan, with an option to extend the loan until June 2026.
31.
Wilfried Zaha was eligible to represent both the Ivory Coast, the country of his birth, and England, where he grew up.
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Wilfried Zaha was called up to the under-21 team on 23 February 2012.
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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.
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Wilfried Zaha came on as a substitute for fellow debutant Raheem Sterling in the 83rd minute.
35.
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.
36.
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.
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In January, Wilfried Zaha was named in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
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At the tournament in Gabon, the reigning champion Elephants were eliminated at the group stage, with Wilfried Zaha starting each game.
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Wilfried Zaha was called up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
40.
Wilfried Zaha is a co-chairman of Isthmian League South East club AFC Croydon Athletic, alongside Danny Young and Michael Owuo Jr.