.jpg) Zaha withCharlotte FC in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-11-10)10 November 1992 (age 33)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlotte FC (on loan fromGalatasaray) | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2010 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2013 | Crystal Palace | 110 | (12) |
| 2013–2015 | Manchester United | 2 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Crystal Palace (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2014 | →Cardiff City (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | →Crystal Palace (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2015–2023 | Crystal Palace | 275 | (67) |
| 2023– | Galatasaray | 30 | (9) |
| 2024–2025 | →Lyon (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2025– | →Charlotte FC (loan) | 31 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | England U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | England U21 | 13 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | England | 2 | (0) |
| 2017– | Ivory Coast | 36 | (5) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 03:30, 19 October 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:09, 31 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha (born 10 November 1992) is an Ivorian professionalfootballer who plays as awinger forMajor League Soccer clubCharlotte FC, on loan fromSüper Lig clubGalatasaray, and theIvory Coast national team.
A product ofCrystal Palace'syouth academy, Zaha made his senior debut for the then Championship, now Premier League, side in 2010. He scored 18 goals in 143 appearances in just over three seasons with the club, and was instrumental in their promotion to thePremier League in 2013. He subsequently joinedManchester United for £10 million, becomingSir Alex Ferguson's last signing for the club, and won theCommunity Shield on his debut.
Having made just four appearances in his only season in Manchester and enduring a briefloan spell atCardiff City, Zaha returned to Crystal Palace in 2014. He 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.
Born in the Ivory Coast, Zaha grew up in England. He made his debut for theEngland national team in 2012, appearing in two non-competitive matches (the latter of which came in 2013). After not playing for England for four years, he switched to play for Ivory Coast in 2016, and represented the nation at theAfrica Cup of Nations in2017,2019,2021 and2025.
Born inAbidjan, Ivory Coast,[2] Zaha moved with his family – including his eight siblings – toThornton Heath in theLondon Borough of Croydon, at age four.[4][5][6] He was educated atWhitehorse Manor Junior School, Thornton Heath andSelsdon High School,Selsdon.[7]
He played football at school, and joined theCrystal Palace academy aged 8.[6]
Zaha was given his Crystal Palace first-team debut at home toCardiff City on 27 March 2010 bycaretaker managerPaul Hart as asubstitute forStern John with 10 minutes remaining in the 2–1 loss.[8] He signed a two-year professional contract with Palace in April.[9]
He quickly progressed through the ranks at Palace and became a key member of the first team during the2010–11 pre-season friendlies.[citation needed] On 7 August 2010, he scored his first senior goal in a 3–2 win overLeicester City.[10] Zaha assistedKieron Cadogan in the home match againstQueens Park Rangers in October[11] andJames Vaughan in the away match againstWatford in February 2011.[12] On 12 April 2011, he was sent off in the 95th minute against Leicester City for an alleged stamp onPatrick van Aanholt but it was later rescinded.[13] Zaha ended the season playing a total of 44 matches, while scoring 1 goal and having 2 assists in all competitions.[14][15][16]
Zaha started the 2011–12 season by scoring two goals in aLeague Cup match on 23 August 2011 at home toCrawley Town.[17] On 30 November, Zaha impressed in Crystal Palace's 2–1 shock win over Manchester United in the League Cup, constantly sneaking through the United defence and in January, attracting interest from Liverpool and Manchester United.[citation needed]
In March 2012, Zaha was votedThe Football League's Young Player of the Year.[18]
In the latter part of the season, managerDougie Freedman opted to play Zaha as a striker and on 21 April he scored in a 2–2 draw withReading, in a match that saw Reading secure theChampionship title.[19] At the end of the 2011–12 season, Zaha was voted Crystal Palace Young Player of the Year for a second time in a row.[citation needed] During this season, he made 48 appearances while scoring 9 goals and recording 5 assists.[20][21][22]
Zaha started the 2012–13 season brightly, getting an assist in the League Cup againstExeter City and winning a penalty in the first league match against Watford.[citation needed] Zaha scored his first two goals of the season againstWolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2012.[citation needed] He then scored two goals in a match again, four days later, in a 4–3 win overBurnley.[citation needed]
On 5 March 2013, Zaha scored his first goal for Crystal Palace since being loaned back from Manchester United, in a 4–2 victory against promotion rivalsHull City.[23] On 13 May 2013, in the second leg of theplay-off semi-final againstBrighton & Hove Albion, Zaha scored two goals in the second half to put Crystal Palace into the play-off final atWembley Stadium.[24] In theplay-off final on 27 May 2013, Zaha won a penalty that was converted to secure Crystal Palace a Premier League spot for the 2013–14 season.[25]
On 25 January 2013, Zaha agreed to joinPremier League clubManchester United, and would immediately be loaned back to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the season.[26][27] Palace tried to delay the transfer and agree the transfer in the summer of 2013, but Football League rules prevented this with the player having to join United and be loaned back to Palace.[28] Zaha passed the medical at Manchester United, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract on 26 January 2013 for a reported £10m rising to £15m with performance-related add-ons.[29]
On 11 August 2013, Zaha made his debut for Manchester United in the2013 FA Community Shield win againstWigan Athletic.[30] He was included in the starting line-up and played 61 minutes before being replaced byAntonio Valencia[31] He did not play again until 29 October, starting in a 4–0 win overNorwich City in the third round of the League Cup atOld Trafford.[32] HisPremier League debut was on 7 December in a 1–0 home loss toNewcastle United, as a substitute forNani shortly after his team conceded.[33]
On 31 January 2014, Zaha completed a loan move toCardiff City for the remainder of the2013–14 season after being left out of favour by managerDavid Moyes.[34]
At the end of the season, following Moyes' sacking, Zaha said that he was never given a chance by the Scot. He contrasted his experience with that ofRaheem Sterling, another young attacker who was given a chance byLiverpool after a difficult start. He also said that he was upset by false and malicious online rumours about his personal life.[35]
On 28 August 2014, Zaha agreed to a season-long loan deal with Crystal Palace.[36] Two days later, in the first match of his loan, he scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 3–3 draw atNewcastle United.[37] On 2 February 2015, the final day of the winter transfer window, Zaha's move to Palace was made permanent with the signing of a five-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[38] believed to be in the region of £3 million, rising to £6 million with add-ons; Manchester United would also receive a percentage of the fee if Palace sell Zaha in the future.[39] United wouldn't receive this sell-on fee as Zaha would join Galatasaray on a free transfer in 2023.
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.[40]
Again, 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.[41] He helped Crystal Palace reach the2016 FA Cup Final, by playing in every match since the third round entry and scoring two goals along the way.[41] Zaha played the whole 120 minutes in the final, but could not help Palace to a victory, as Manchester United won 2–1.[42] Zaha won theCrystal Palace Player of the Year award for the first time.[43]
On 26 December 2016, Zaha was denied a penalty in the closing minutes against Watford. Some speculated that Zaha had overplayed the foul or taken a dive. After the match Watford's mascot attempted to rile Zaha up by mimicking a dive in front of him.[44][45] On 14 May 2017, Zaha scored the opening goal in the third minute of the home game against Hull City[46] that simultaneously mathematically secured Crystal Palace's top flight status and relegated Hull City to the Championship.[47] After another outstanding season with The Eagles, Zaha won Crystal Palace's Player of the Year award for the second year running.[48] On 26 May 2017, Zaha signed a new five-year contract with Crystal Palace.[49]
On 14 October 2017, Zaha returned to Palace's starting line-up for the first time in two months and scored to open a 2–1 win over Chelsea to give the Eagles their first points of the season.[50] He wasPremier League Player of the Month for April 2018 for his four goals and assist while playing up front;[51] on 14 April he scored twice in the first half of a 3–2 win overrivals Brighton & Hove Albion.[52]
Despite their poor start, Palace stayed up with a game in hand under new managerRoy Hodgson, with the combination between Zaha and fellow wingerAndros Townsend a key factor.[53][54][55] He was named their Player of the Year for the third time in a row, a feat only done before by goalkeeperJulián Speroni.[56]
In Palace's first game of the new season on 11 August, Zaha scored the second goal of a 2–0 win at Fulham. It was his 23rd Premier League goal for the club, drawing level withChris Armstrong as their top scorer in the competition's history.[57] Four days later he signed a new five-year contract at Crystal Palace.[58] On 26 August, with a consolation goal in a 2–1 loss at Watford, he overtook Armstrong to become Palace's Premier League top scorer.[59]
After scoring a winning goal againstHuddersfield Town in September 2018, Zaha publicly complained about what he considered to be a lack of appropriate protection by referees against fouls, saying that he would need a broken leg before any action would be taken. Data proved that in the last five years, he was the second most fouled player in the league afterEden Hazard.[60] In October, Zaha was the victim ofracist abuse and death threats following a match.[61] Zaha received asecond yellow card, the first for mass confrontation withJames Ward-Prowse, and the other for dissent on refereeAndre Marriner againstSouthampton on 30 January 2019.[62]
In June 2019, he was linked with a transfer toArsenal,[63] who made a £40 million offer for the player,[64] which Crystal Palace rejected as too low.[65] In October, he received racial abuse on social media.[66]`
Zaha played in all 38 league matches with Crystal Palace, having a disappointing campaign, scoring only 4 goals, including a long-distance goal againstChelsea.[67]
On 12 September 2020, Zaha scored the only goal in a 1–0 win overSouthampton.[68] On 19 September, he scored a brace in a 3–1 away win over his former team Manchester United.[69]
On 13 March 2021, Zaha became the first Premier League player not to take a knee prior to kick-off in Palace's 1–0 win over West Bromwich Albion. Zaha made a statement at theFinancial Times' Business of Football summit in February saying that "As a society, I feel we should be encouraging better education in schools, and social media companies should be taking stronger action against people who abuse others online – not just footballers".[70]
On 16 May, Zaha scored his eleventh league goal of the season in a 3–2 win against Aston Villa, setting a new personal best for goals in a Premier League season.[71]
On 27 September 2021, Zaha marked his 400th appearance for Crystal Palace with his 70th goal in a 1–1 draw with rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.[72] On 30 October, Zaha became the first player to score 50 top-flight goals for Crystal Palace in a 2–0 win atManchester City.[73]
Zaha finished the season as 9th top scorer in the league with 14 goals, to be his new personal best record.[74]
Zaha scored seven goals in only 27 appearances in the Premier League. He missed several matches due to injury in February and April.[75] He also missed the last two games of the season, having been forced off with an injury in a 2–0 win overBournemouth on 13 May 2023; he played a crucial role in setting up the first goal on what turned out to be his 457th and final appearance for the club.[76]
Zaha's contract expired at the end of the season. Despite being offered a four-year extension worth £200,000 a week by Crystal Palace, Zaha confirmed in anInstagram statement on 23 July 2023 that he would be departing the club after a total of eighteen years.[77]
On 23 July 2023,Süper Lig sideGalatasaray announced that Zaha arrived in Istanbul to complete his transfer to Turkey.[78] On the next day, he signed a three-year contract with the club who said that Zaha would be paid a signing-on fee of €2.35 million and an annual salary of €4.35 million.[79][80][81]
Zaha made his Süper Lig debut againstKayserispor on 12 August. On 20 September, he marked hisChampions League group stage debut with an assist forTetê's goal in a 2–2 home draw againstCopenhagen.[82] On 3 October, he scored his first Champions League goal against his former club Manchester United in a 3–2 win at Old Trafford for Galatasaray on his first start in the competition.[83]
On 30 August 2024, Zaha joinedLyon on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season. Lyon paid Galatasaray a loan fee of €3 million.[84][85] Following a mutual agreement between Lyon and Galatasaray, his loan was terminated on 22 January 2025.[86]
On 22 January 2025, it was announced that Zaha would joinMajor League Soccer clubCharlotte FC on a one-year loan, with an option to extend the loan until June 2026.[87] In his 4 March debut againstAtlanta United FC, Zaha scored one goal in his team's 2–0 win.[88]On 1 June, he played his 15th league game, which triggered the loan extension until 30 June 2026.[89][90]
Zaha was eligible to represent both theIvory Coast, the country of his birth, andEngland, where he grew up.[91]
His success over the course of his first full season resulted in a call-up to theEngland under-19 team for their match againstGermany in February 2011.[citation needed] He was called up to theunder-21 team on 23 February 2012.[92] He made his debut in a 4–0 win againstBelgium on 29 February, assistingHenri Lansbury for the third goal.[93] On 11 November 2012, Zaha was called up to the senior team by managerRoy Hodgson for a friendly match againstSweden on 14 November. He came on as a substitute for fellow debutantRaheem Sterling in the 83rd minute.[94][95]
When Zaha was in good form for Crystal Palace under Hodgson ahead of the2018 FIFA World Cup, the manager said that he regretted not fielding the winger in a competitive game to tie him to England.[52]
On 27 November 2016, theIvorian Football Federation confirmed that Zaha had sent correspondence toFIFA to switch his international football allegiance from England to theIvory Coast.[96] In response to this development, England managerGareth Southgate indicated he would try to dissuade Zaha from changing allegiance due to his consistent club form.[97]
In January, Zaha was named in the Ivory Coast squad for the2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[98] He made his debut against Sweden in a friendly inAbu Dhabi on 8 January, coming on as a half-time substitute and assistingGiovanni Sio's goal in a 2–1 win.[99] Three days later, againstUganda at the same venue, he made his first international start and scored his first goal in a 3–0 win.[100] At the tournament in Gabon, the reigning champion Elephants were eliminated at thegroup stage, with Zaha starting each game.[101][102][103]
Zaha was also called up for the2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. He scored two goals at the tournament, one in a 4–1 win overNamibia in the final group game,[104] and the game's only goal in the last 16 match againstMali.[105] The Elephants were defeated on penalties in the quarter final by the eventual winners, Algeria.
Zaha can play as aforward or as awinger, usually on the left where he can cut inside with his right foot.[53] In 2018, Adrian Clarke of the Premier League's website opined that he "offers more threat" as a frontman, going on to add that "his ultra-mobile combination with [Andros] Townsend generates more goals and points", citing "the speed, athleticism and unpredictable movement of the Zaha–Townsend axis is more difficult for opponents to contain".[53] This often forces defenders to resort to stopping him by committing fouls, with Zaha having induced the most red cards for opponents in the history of thePremier League.[106]
Zaha has often been accused ofdiving;[107][108][109] however, Roy Hodgson, who managed him at club level for Crystal Palace and internationallyfor England, has stated: "Wilf Zaha does not dive for penalties. He gets knocked over sometimes – sometimes he gets knocked over or unbalanced without it being a penalty or a foul – because he runs at such speed and has such agility with the ball. But he certainly doesn't dive."[110] Hodgson also said that Zaha's characterisation as a diver is because of a "campaign" and it causes fouls against him to be dismissed by referees.[60]
Zaha married Paige Bannister in July 2023.[111]
He is a co-chairman ofIsthmian League South East clubAFC Croydon Athletic, alongside Danny Young andMichael Owuo Jr., better known as Stormzy.[112]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2009–10[113] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11[114] | Championship | 41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12[115] | Championship | 41 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | — | — | 48 | 9 | |||
| 2012–13[c][116] | Championship | 43 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 2 | 50 | 8 | ||
| Total | 126 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | 143 | 18 | |||
| Manchester United | 2013–14[30] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2014–15[117] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Cardiff City (loan) | 2013–14[30] | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 2014–15[c][117] | Premier League | 31 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16[41] | Premier League | 34 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 5 | |||
| 2016–17[118] | Premier League | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 7 | |||
| 2017–18[119] | Premier League | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 9 | |||
| 2018–19[120] | Premier League | 34 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 10 | |||
| 2019–20[121] | Premier League | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | |||
| 2020–21[122] | Premier League | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 11 | |||
| 2021–22[123] | Premier League | 33 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 15 | |||
| 2022–23[124] | Premier League | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 7 | |||
| Total | 291 | 68 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 315 | 72 | ||||
| Crystal Palace total | 417 | 81 | 19 | 3 | 19 | 4 | — | 3 | 2 | 458 | 90 | |||
| Galatasaray | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 30 | 9 | 3 | 0 | — | 9[f] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 10 | |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 30 | 9 | 3 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 10 | |||
| Lyon (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[h] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Charlotte FC (loan) | 2025 | Major League Soccer | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4[i] | 0 | 35 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 496 | 100 | 23 | 3 | 20 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 559 | 110 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
| Ivory Coast | 2017 | 8 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 5 | |
| Career total | 38 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 January 2017 | Zayed Sports City Stadium,Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 2 |  Uganda | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [100] |
| 2 | 24 March 2017 | Krasnodar Stadium,Krasnodar, Russia | 6 |  Russia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [126] |
| 3 | 1 July 2019 | 30 June Stadium,Cairo, Egypt | 14 |  Namibia | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations | [127] |
| 4 | 8 July 2019 | Suez Stadium,Suez, Egypt | 15 |  Mali | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations | [128] |
| 5 | 13 October 2019 | Stade de la Licorne,Amiens, France | 17 |  DR Congo | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | [129] |
Crystal Palace
Manchester United
Galatasaray
Individual
[Harry the Hornet, the mascot, diving to mock Zaha] I think it's disgraceful. That's not what football matches are about. If it's provoking the crowd into looking for something that's not there, it should be stopped.
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