Jean-Philippe Mateta insists he and Wilfried Zaha have cleared the air after their public spat last week. The Crystal Palace striker said, after scoring his first goal for France, that team-mates at Palace had laughed at his dream of playing for his country, and named Zaha as one of the players involved in the mockery, leading to a furious response from the FC Charlotte star.
Mateta clears air
Last week, Mateta was basking in the glow of his first France goal, and hit back at the critics in the Palace dressing room, as he alleged that Zaha and a gaggle of team-mates mocked his dreams of playing for his country. That led to an earnest response from Zaha in which he furiously denied the claim, insisting that he would never take aim at a team-mate in such a way.
He said: “My head’s on fire. I have to clear up this Mateta situation. Because he doesn’t want to. I spoke to him and he doesn’t want to, he’s okay with it. This just shows me, all the time I played for Crystal Palace, people watching me, it’s clear that they weren’t happy for me.
“Because I never made anyone feel like ‘sh*t’. I never… everyone knows me. The only time on the pitch is when I’m passionate and all that stuff. But I’d never bully someone or say someone won’t make it here or won’t make it at all or nothing like that. It’s disgusting when I see someone that I thought was a friend do that.”
AdvertisementGetty/GOALMateta retracts statement
Now, the Palace striker has insisted that pair have spoken, with Mateta preparing for the Eagles' clash with AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Conference League, and that the air has been firmly cleared.
He said: “I spoke with him, everything is good. We talked in private and that’s it.”
Mateta has also confirmed his desire to keep playing for France, with his sights set on the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. He added: "I am very proud of myself. I am very happy. I think I deserved it because I train very hard with all of the team. It's a dream come true and I hope I get called upon again."
Mateta met Deschamps' challenge
Ahead of France's clashes with Azerbaijan and Iceland – Les Bleus won the first game 3-0 and drew the second 2-2 – France boss Didier Deschamps laid down the gauntlet for Mateta to prove himself, and he appeared to do just that.
He said: "He has to do what he knows how to do, which is to play as naturally as possible," Deschamps told reporters on Monday.
"He has a good habit of scoring goals, whether for his club or with the younger teams and the Olympic team during the Olympic Games.
"So this is a big moment for him. Let him come with his enthusiasm and his qualities. He knows most of the players because he's had seen in the younger teams too.
"It's not about winning me over [personally]. That's not how it works. [He has to prove himself] in the team, in training and during matches."
Mateta was called into the squad to deputise for Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe, who was dealing with an injury blow throughout the international break.
Getty Images SportWhat comes next?
Palace play Larnaca in Europe on Thursday before they return to Premier League action this weekend against Arsenal at the Emirates. Mateta is coming off the back of a hat-trick for the Eagles against Bournemouth at the weekend. However, despite scoring a treble, Mateta was left cursing a late miss that cost Bournemouth the chance to turn one point into three.
He told reporters: "With the last chance I had, I am very frustrated. I want to win every game, even if I did score a hat-trick. It was up to me to score the goal [with the late chance] and I didn’t score it, that is why I am like this.
"I need a few minutes to speak with the team and cool down but now I am upset."
