During this international break, Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the doors to the French team. For his first two selections, the Crystal Palace striker, starter against Iceland (2-2) in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, also opened his account with his first goal.
By donning the blue jersey, the native of Sevran achieved one of the goals he had set for himself in his career. An ambition which had raised some doubts among his teammates at the Eagles. In a video published on social networks, Mateta had also mentioned this skepticism, notably citing the name of Wilfried Zaha. “At Crystal Palace, at the very beginning, when I wasn't even playing, I was talking in the French team dressing room and I had teammates like Wilfried Zaha laughing. They told me I was crazy to think about the French team when I didn't even play for Crystal Palace.”confided the 2024 Olympic vice-champion.
“It’s disgusting to see someone I thought was a friend do this”
Mateta's exit provoked many reactions, notably that of the Ivorian international. The latter wished to clarify the words of the neo-Tricolore, by recalling the context.
“It’s disgusting to see someone I thought was a friend do this. Why did he say my name when there were ten people in the room? Is it just because Zaha is the biggest name?. (…) I never once said 'you won't make it'. We laughed, but we were joking, it was at the time when there was Benzema and the other attackers. Now I get messages from fans asking why I'm making fun of him. I don't care, kudos to him. I even congratulated him publicly on his Instagram”Zaha clarified.
