Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha goes off on his ex-teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta in a video uploaded to his social media accounts on Tuesday. The Ivorian footballer says he is ‘disgusted’ that someone he once considered a friend would accuse him of bullying and undermining their ambitions.

Mateta received a call-up from France's senior national team to play in their World Cup qualifying games and scored his first goal for the team in their match against Iceland on Monday. During an interview with French newspaper 'L’Equipe', the centre-forward remarked that his former Palace teammates poked fun at his dream to play for the French national team, implying that he was not skilled enough to achieve his goals.

He said:

“They said that I was mad to think about the France team when I wasn’t even playing at Crystal Palace, but I responded saying that it was my objective and that I simply had to play to show what I could do.”

He goes on to boldly mention his ex-teammate when reflecting on his early stages with the English club.

“At Crystal Palace, right at the start, when I wasn’t even playing, I spoke about the France team in the dressing room and I had team-mates like Wilfried Zaha who were laughing.”

Zaha was furious with these remarks and addressed Mateta’s allegations in a heated rant uploaded to his social media.

He says while passionately denying the claims. He says he’s spoken to Mateta, who “does not want to clear up the situation,” hence why he’s taken to social media in an attempt to defend his name.

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The pair met in 2021 when Mateta joined Crystal Palace, and continued to share Selhurst Park Stadium until Zaha left the club in 2023, playing together for 2 and a half seasons.

Zaha went on to provide more context, explaining that the conversation Mateta referred to involved around ten players joking together in the dressing room, insisting there was no malice behind the exchange.

“We never ever once said, ‘You’re never going to make it’. Why would he say my name when there were ten people there? Is it just because Zaha is the biggest name?” he asked.

He also revealed that he had publicly congratulated Mateta on his recent call-up to the French national team, further expressing confusion over why his name had been mentioned in a negative light.

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The fallout between the two appears to have extended beyond words, with reports suggesting that Zaha and Mateta have unfollowed each other on Instagram.

As of now, there has been no public response from Mateta addressing Zaha’s comments or clarifying whether his remarks were misinterpreted. Sources close to the player have indicated that he has chosen not to engage further, leaving the situation unresolved.