Wilfried Zaha · Biography

On 27 May 2013, the Championship play-off final between Crystal Palace and Watford at Wembley went into extra time goalless. In the 105th minute Wilfried Zaha was brought down in the box, and Kevin Phillips scored the penalty that took the south London club back to the Premier League. Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha, a winger born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on 10 November 1992, was ending his first spell at Palace: Manchester United had signed him in January and loaned him back for the rest of the season.

From Thornton Heath to the Palace academy

Zaha moved to England aged four, when his family settled in Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon, a short distance from Selhurst Park. He joined the Crystal Palace academy at eight and came through every youth level there. His first-team debut came on 27 March 2010, as a substitute for Stern John in a 2-1 home defeat by Cardiff City, and the following month he signed his first professional contract, a two-year deal.

Promotion in 2013

In 2012-13 he became a regular starter in the Championship. He was named Football League Young Player of the Month for October 2012 and picked in the PFA Championship Team of the Year. In the second leg of the play-off semi-final, on 13 May 2013, he scored both goals in the win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex. Two weeks later came the penalty at Wembley. He closed that first spell with 143 appearances and 18 goals in all competitions.

Manchester United and a loan at Cardiff

On 26 January 2013 he signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester United, in a deal reported at around £10m, rising to £15m with add-ons. His United debut came on 11 August 2013 in the Community Shield, a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic, and his Premier League debut on 7 December 2013, off the bench in a 1-0 home defeat by Newcastle United. Under David Moyes he made just four competitive appearances. On 31 January 2014 he joined Cardiff City on loan, playing 13 games without scoring before the end of the season.

Back at Selhurst Park

On 28 August 2014 he returned to Crystal Palace on a season-long loan and scored a stoppage-time equaliser at Newcastle in his first match back. The move became permanent on 2 February 2015, for a fee believed to be around £3m plus add-ons, with United keeping a sell-on clause. Over the following years he was the side’s main attacking outlet: he played all 120 minutes of the 2016 FA Cup final, lost 2-1 to Manchester United, and was voted the club’s Player of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He won the Premier League Player of the Month award for April 2018 and Goal of the Month for February 2022. His last game for Palace was a 2-0 win over Bournemouth on 13 May 2023. Across both spells he made 458 appearances and scored 90 goals for the club.

From England to Ivory Coast

Zaha played two friendlies for England: he made his debut against Sweden on 14 November 2012, replacing Raheem Sterling, and won his second cap on 14 August 2013 in a 3-2 win over Scotland at Wembley. As neither match was competitive he remained free to switch, and in November 2016 FIFA confirmed his change of allegiance to Ivory Coast. He made his debut for the Elephants on 8 January 2017 in Abu Dhabi, against Sweden again, and three days later scored his first goal in a 3-0 win over Uganda. He played at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, where Ivory Coast went out in the group stage, and at the 2019 edition, where he scored against Namibia and got the only goal of the last-16 tie with Mali before a quarter-final exit on penalties to Algeria. He was also part of the 2021 tournament. By the end of 2025 he had won 36 caps and scored five goals.

Galatasaray, Lyon and Charlotte

When his Palace contract ran out he joined Galatasaray on 24 July 2023 on a three-year deal. He scored his first Champions League goal on 3 October 2023, in a 3-2 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. With the Turkish club he won the 2023 Turkish Super Cup and the 2023-24 Süper Lig, finishing with 43 appearances and 10 goals. On 30 August 2024 he moved to Olympique Lyonnais on loan, but the deal was cancelled by mutual consent on 22 January 2025 after six games. The same day Charlotte FC of MLS announced his arrival, also on loan. He scored on his debut against Atlanta United on 4 March 2025, and on 1 June 2025 the option to extend the loan to 30 June 2026 was triggered.