Topics: Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace, Football, Fan Reactions, Premier League
Former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has slammed fans on Snapchat over a post that went viral across social media.
Zaha, now 32, left Palace in the summer of 2023 as a free agent before signing for Turkish giants Galatasaray.
The Ivory Coast international achieved his ambition of playing Champions League football while at Gala but, after scoring 10 goals in all competitions in his first season, was loaned out to Lyon.
A combination of a lack of form and injuries meant he only made six appearances in France, and the former Manchester United winger is now preparing for his second Major League Soccer season with Charlotte FC after joining them on loan at the beginning of 2025.
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Palace, meanwhile, did not elect to sign a direct replacement for Zaha, leaving Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta to take on more responsibility in attack.
Olise was sold to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024 after scoring 10 goals in 19 Premier League games during his final season at Selhurst Park.
The France international is now arguably the world's most in-form playmaker, having registered a staggering 23 assists in all competitions this season. He now needs just eight more direct goal contributions to equal Lionel Messi's all-time seasonal record.
Eze, meanwhile, was sold to Arsenal for £67.5 million last summer and is currently in line to become a Premier League title winner come May, with the Gunners four points clear at the top of the table.
Zaha's other Palace team-mates included Cheick Doucoure and Marc Guehi, with the latter joining Manchester City for an initial £20 million in January after electing not to sign a new contract.
On Friday night, Zaha took to his Snapchat account to launch a targeted response at fans on social media, after one claimed that he was 'not even top 3' at Palace in terms of footballing ability. It is not clear whether a Palace fan wrote the post.
Zaha wrote, in a now-deleted story: "The disrespect on my name daily. You've got to laugh... people forget so quickly.
"Let's go down memory lane... I was your favourite winger's favourite winger.
"Just because I was at Palace don't mean I wasn't one of the best in the world in my position."
Since his post, Palace fans have rushed to back their former player, with one writing: "I agree with Wilf. He's easily second best player we've had ability wise, only Olise [is higher].
"Zaha remains top because of what he did for us. No other player would have kept us up that long."
A second said: "Wilf mate we all love you, take Twitter with a pinch of salt and nothing more."
And a third stated: "I love Wilfried Zaha and always will. Best player I've seen at our club for over 25yrs supporting."
While a fourth wrote: "Whatever the football world thinks about Wilfried Zaha, as a player, there was always the chance he could unlock the door on a low block. Not enough players like him in the PL right now."
