Many people laughed at Jean-Philippe Mateta shortly after his arrival at Crystal Palace back in January 2021.
The Frenchman sat down with So Foot to speak about his move from Mainz to the Premier League, listing a number of aspirations which were – admittedly – laughably ambitious at the time.
Now, however, Mateta is remarkably on the cusp of realising the lofty goals he laid out for himself upon sealing that move to Crystal Palace.
Who deserves to start up top in the UEFA Conference League final? 🤔
Glasner seems to trust Mateta more at the moment… 👀
Jean-Philippe Mateta, take a bow
When asked by So Foot back in January 2021 what his aspirations are in football, Mateta said: “I want to win trophies, be in the French national team, play in the Champions League. I want it all.”
The Crystal Palace No.14 has already won two pieces of silverware in south London – securing the FA Cup and then the Community Shield – and is potentially 90 minutes away from a third in the UEFA Conference League.
Mateta has also just been named in the France squad for the World Cup along with Maxence Lacroix. The UEFA Champions League dream is yet to happen, but with AC Milan still interested in signing the 28-year-old this summer, that goal could be realised as soon as next season.
Interestingly, So Foot directly asked the man born in Sevran if Crystal Palace can win trophies, to which the Frenchman replied: “We can qualify for the Europa League first!”
That too will happen if the Eagles defeat Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Conference League final – and had already happened last term before Nottingham Forest whinged and took our spot.
At the time of that interview with So Foot, Crystal Palace had just finished 14th in the Premier League under Roy Hodgson in the 2019/20 season. The football was dreadful, the cup competitions were never taken seriously, and very few people felt the ambitions Mateta spoke about were remotely possible.
However, the arrival of Oliver Glasner changed everything for both Crystal Palace and Mateta, who has scored 44 goals in 106 appearances under the Austrian on his way to making history for the Eagles.
Who do YOU want as the next Crystal Palace boss? 🤔
Hopefully, if the France international is to follow Glasner out of Crystal Palace this summer, he can do it in style by overcoming Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
