After almost ongoing saga of failed summer moves during every transfer window, Wilfried Zaha has admitted he’s not interested in talking about transfers and has no desire to fuel fires or burn bridges. The disappointment and bitter end to his time at Manchester United still lingers in the background. Over time, though, it steadily ate away him, stealing the enjoyment of simply playing at all.
Wilfried Zaha said “You come from nothing, you work all the way to the top and you’re thinking I’ve finally reached this amazing platform that I’ve dreamt about my whole life. But you still have to deal with a lot of things in football that you shouldn’t have to. That’s why I’m back to enjoying my football again. What happened in the summer did affect me. When the season started it was still in my head. But after a while I told myself that I have got to get over it. Going around sulking is not going to help. I told myself I can’t be like that. That’s why I’m back to enjoying my football again. What happened in the summer did affect me. When the season started it was still in my head. But after a while I told myself that I have got to get over it. Going around sulking is not going to help. I told myself I can’t be like that. The team has not disrespected me, or the club, or the fans. So they don’t deserve me disrespecting them.”
In the past, people have been quick to redress Zaha’s concerns or dismiss them altogether, perhaps because of the warped idea that footballers’ emotions are fair game due to their wealth. And, at first, when the sense of mistreatment began to stew, he felt he had little choice but to accept it. In a world that often seems to “thrive off negativity”, the abuse was just something that walked hand-in-hand with success.
