Jean-Philippe Mateta was on fire for Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner last season and has been great for France at the Olympics in Paris.
The striker, who scored 16 times for Crystal Palace in the last campaign, has four goals at the Olympics as Thierry Henry’s side prepare for their Gold medal game against Spain later today.
Mateta resurgence has seen an outpouring of love from the France camp towards the Crystal Palace player. The 27-year-old is well liked not just by Henry but by a lot of his teammates.
Le Parisien have looked at that ahead of the final, with Henry describing Mateta as a ‘funny, hardworking’ and a tenacious competitor
“What convinced me? His end of season at Crystal Palace. I don’t know if it’s a team that people follow, but his way of being, his game, his atypical style. And off the pitch, he’s a guy who manages to unite the group. He’s funny, hardworking and always asking for more.”
The striker’s former Le Havre coach Oswald Tanchot has also spoken to the newspaper, revealing that Mateta is never arrogant and gets on very well with everyone around him.
“He is not arrogant but sure of himself. He wants to work, is very jovial by nature, always in a good mood and gets on well with everyone. Sometimes we don’t know if he does it on purpose, but he is funny. Above all, he is very kind, in the noble sense of the term.”
France youngster Desire Doue also praised his teammate, praising Mateta for his work-ethic.
“His state of mind is great. On the field, until the last minute, he runs, does not count his efforts and then, he is rewarded.”
The 27-year-old’s performances this summer will surely give him positivity over the Crystal Palace season ahead. There had been talk of a transfer earlier this summer but that’s gone quiet since.
