Crystal Palace fans could chew most people’s ear off about just how good Wilfried Zaha was at Selhurst Park.
Unfortunately, that view is not often shared between the rest of the football world, with many usually branding the Ivory Coast international as a whining, diving figure of petulance.
Now – however – an interesting statistic has emerged which will hopefully show those outside of Crystal Palace just how effective Wilfried Zaha was in red and blue…
What’s the story?
Well, WhoScored released a list of those with the most successful dribbles in the Premier League since the 2009/10 campaign.
Amazingly – despite only making his Premier League debut for Crystal Palace in August 2014 – Zaha sits top of the list, ahead of stars such as Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.
The 31-year-old completed 969 dribbles in his 305 Premier League appearances, averaging 3.2 successful dribbles per game throughout his career in England’s top-flight.
Of course, dribbles are not the most important thing in football, although it speaks volumes that Zaha tops a list including the likes of Hazard, Sterling and Mahrez, all of whom are Premier League icons.
How is Wilfried Zaha getting on after leaving Crystal Palace?
Zaha – who Roy Hodgson revealed was a “nuisance” in training – chose to join Galatasaray after his contract expired at the end of last season.
Following a tough start to life in Turkey as the Ivorian battled against injuries, he is now starting to show everyone exactly what he’s capable of.
Zaha has five goals in his last nine appearances for Galatasaray, including a strike at Old Trafford as the Turkish giants defeated Manchester United in a 3-2 thriller.
Hopefully, the Abidjan-born forward can help Galatasaray progress into the Round of 16 and keep his UEFA Champions League dream going for as long as possible, something every Crystal Palace fan would surely love to see him do.
