Wilfried Zaha helped to keep Crystal Palace in the Premier League for many a season, and his efforts have now culminated in an FA Cup win for the Eagles.
The Ivory Coast international dragged the south Londoners to survival almost singlehandedly at times, scoring 68 goals and providing 29 assists in 305 Premier League appearances to establish Crystal Palace at the top table.
That stability gave Oliver Glasner a platform to do something special at Selhurst Park, which the Austrian has now achieved by guiding Crystal Palace to a first major trophy, and also European football for the first time ever.
After a goal from Eberechi Eze secured victory at Wembley, Wilfried Zaha sent a message to his old side.
What Wilfried Zaha said about Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory
As the man from Abidjan arrived for training at Charlotte, he was asked for his thoughts on what Crystal Palace achieved at Wembley.
Zaha – who West Ham looked at last summer – said: “Oh, I’m buzzing man. I feel like the club deserves it, the fans deserve it. Yeah man, I’m very happy for the club. I’m happy for south London in general.”
Wilf with the shoutout to South London 🗣️
Congrats to @CPFC on their FA Cup title 👏 pic.twitter.com/nBzpFC9QG7
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) May 17, 2025
The 32-year-old may not have been involved in the FA Cup final, but he deserves plenty of credit for helping Crystal Palace grow into a side capable of defeating a juggernaut in Manchester City.
Wilfried Zaha almost returned to Crystal Palace in January
Crystal Palace actually wanted to bring Zaha back in the January transfer window, which would have been a romantic move given his status in SE25.
However, the Ivorian had already represented Galatasaray and Lyon in the season, with FIFA rules preventing him from playing for a third team in the same campaign.
However, Major League Soccer (MLS) does not have to comply with FIFA regulations, so Charlotte were allowed to sign Zaha.
