Jean-Philippe Mateta has admitted he is far from surprised by the remarkable rise of former Crystal Palace teammate Michael Olise, insisting the winger always possessed the talent required to reach the very top of the game.
Olise’s move away from Selhurst Park has proven to be another significant step in what continues to be a rapidly developing career. The French international has earned widespread praise for his performances since leaving south London, with many observers describing his displays as among the most exciting in European football.
While his progress has caught the attention of supporters, pundits and former professionals alike, Mateta believes there is nothing unexpected about the level Olise has reached.
Having spent several seasons playing alongside him at Crystal Palace, the striker witnessed first-hand the qualities that made the winger one of the most gifted players to wear the club’s colours in recent years. According to Mateta, those inside the Palace dressing room were already aware of the enormous potential Olise possessed long before he began attracting global recognition.
Speaking about his former teammate, Mateta said:
“Je l’ai cรดtoyรฉ assez longtemps pour savoir qu’๐ถ๐น ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒฬ๐ ๐ป๐ฒฬ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐฬง๐ฎ.
Il est parti dans un club plus grand, ๐ถ๐น ๐ฎ ๐น’๐๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒฬ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎฬ ๐ฐ๐ผฬ๐๐ฒฬ ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐น๐๐ถ, il a aussi Luis Dรญaz. Ce qu’il fait n’est pas normal, mais je m’attendais ร รงa de sa part.
ร Crystal Palace, ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฝ ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ป. ๐๐น ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒฬ๐๐๐๐ถ ๐ฎฬ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎฬ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒฬ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒฬ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐.”
The comments offer a fascinating insight into how highly Olise was regarded by those who shared a dressing room with him. Although supporters regularly witnessed moments of brilliance during his time at Selhurst Park, teammates such as Mateta were able to appreciate the consistency, intelligence and technical quality that often went unnoticed outside the club.
Olise was a key creative figure during his spell with Palace, producing moments capable of changing matches in an instant. His ability to unlock defences, create opportunities and dictate attacking play made him one of the Premier League’s most exciting young talents.
For Mateta, the winger’s current success is simply a continuation of what he displayed on a regular basis in south London. The striker’s remarks underline the belief within the Palace squad that Olise was always destined for bigger stages and greater challenges.
As the Frenchman continues to impress at the highest level, Mateta’s words serve as a reminder that those closest to him saw this coming long before the rest of the football world caught up.
