"The 28-year-old made his France debut in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Azerbaijan on 10 October, before scoring in the 2-2 draw with Iceland three days later. Mateta told L'Equipe newspaper, external how former Palace winger Zaha - now at Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC - was among former team-mates "who were laughing" when he expressed his ambition to play for his country. Zaha, 32, took to social media to defend himself, saying his head was "on fire" over what he had read."
""I spoke with him," said the striker, who has scored 35 Premier League goals in 80 appearances since Zaha left the Eagles for Galatasaray in 2023. "Everything is good. We talked in private, and that's it." With a contract until the summer of 2027, Mateta - who has struck seven times for Palace this season - added he was not thinking about his future before his club host AEK Larnaca in the Conference League on Thursday. "I'm focused on my season," he said. "I'm just thinking about the game.""
""I spoke with him,""
""Everything is good. We talked in private, and that's it.""
Jean-Philippe Mateta made his France debut in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Azerbaijan on 10 October and scored in the 2-2 draw with Iceland three days later. He reported that former Crystal Palace team-mate Wilfried Zaha was among players who laughed when Mateta expressed his ambition to play for France, prompting a social-media defence from Zaha. The pair resolved the misunderstanding after a private conversation. Mateta has scored seven goals this season and 35 Premier League goals in 80 appearances since Zaha left in 2023. Mateta’s contract runs until summer 2027 and he remains focused on club duties, including an upcoming Conference League match against AEK Larnaca.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]