He is the new face of this October gathering: Jean-Philippe Mateta was summoned for the first time in his career in France A team.
However, the Crystal Palace striker is not new to the landscape of European football. At 28 years old, Mateta has cut his teeth in France and abroad, notably in England, where he enjoyed his career at Crystal Palace.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace).
The silver medalist at the Paris Olympic Games met several of his new teammates in Blues. William Saliba doesn't have fond memories of it, as it gave him such a hard time in the duels.
“He gets better every year”
“His profile? He's a very annoying striker to play against, because he's strong and he moves fast. I think he's getting better every year.”underlined the Arsenal central defender in a press briefing organized this week.
“If Crystal Palace has been so strong for two years, it’s because he’s there. I'm happy to have him here and I hope he makes his first cap.”concluded Saliba. With his pivot profile, Mateta admitted for his part that Olivier Giroud was a great source of inspiration for him.
