“Everything there is for me to win, I want to win, and I’ll do anything I possibly can to win the Premier League.”
The words of a beaming Eberechi Eze who has just enjoyed his best-ever season. A winning goal in the FA Cup final to down Manchester City and earn Crystal Palace their first major honour in a 163-year history has only whetted his appetite for more.
May 17, 2025 marked an occasion he had already played out in his head throughout his childhood. So while significant, it wasn’t a shock.
“I’ve been dreaming of playing at that level and doing things like that from when I was young, so I’ve watched that happen in my head for years.
“For me, it’s just the manifestation of something that’s been in my mind, something I’ve been praying for.
“I’m probably not as surprised as everyone else, but of course I’m grateful to God to have the opportunity to be in that position.
“To be able to do that and to bring a trophy to south London, that’s the biggest thing, something that the club hasn’t had before – a trophy. So to be part of the squad that has done that, I almost have no words.”
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Eberechi Eze reflects on his FA Cup win with Crystal Palace and talks about his foundation ‘The Eze Foundation’
In many ways, Eze’s path to a Wembley triumph is proof that the pursuit of success isn’t a linear one. Eze’s journey is one that began with rejection at a young age, with Arsenal, Fulham and Millwall all letting him go before he turned 18.
But now at Palace, he’s pulling strings that have never been pulled for the club, writing himself into folklore and standing on the shoulders of giants, who were not able to achieve what he and his team-mates have.
“You look at the players that have played at this club; key players who were part of the foundation to even just being a Premier League club and maintaining that status.
“I understand that it’s not we haven’t just turned up and won a trophy, there’s been so much that’s gone into this and so much that’s happened beforehand and allowed this to be possible.
“It’s gratitude and thankfulness for us to be in this position, us to be the ones to lift it but also a deep appreciation for everything that’s gone before us. Everyone that’s gone before us, all the things that have been done – this is just a part of the journey.”
Eze spoke to Sky Sports at his annual Eze Foundation Invitational at the Crystal Palace training ground
The man credited with bringing it all together from the top is Oliver Glasner, who Eze believes can deliver much more for Palace.
“He’s a top coach, a top guy, there are big things to come for sure,” Eze said
“He’s intense and he’s convinced of what he believes in, knows what he wants from his players, from his team.
“I feel like that’s shown in the way that we’ve been playing especially towards the end of the season. How the form that we picked up, processes, that’s what he’s driven by, that’s what he understands. He knows that if he has a team that’s doing what he wants he’s confident that we can win and that was the motto for the whole season.”
The Eze Foundation aims to provide young people from south London with opportunities to develop and upskill
England boss Thomas Tuchel was in attendance to watch Eze’s Wembley heroics. In March, in Tuchel’s second match in charge of the national team, Eze netted his first England goal, which further added to the headache the German boss has when it comes to his squad selection. The competition for places is something that adds to Eze’s excitement ahead of the World Cup next year.
“Being in the England squad is always the aim. You want to become a mainstay in the team, you want to earn your position in the squad, that’s something that I’m trying to do every single day. Of course, there’s so much competition.
“So many different players to choose from for the manager so it’s not necessarily an easy job but for me all I can do is keep playing my football keep doing what I do, keep enjoying my football and I try not to focus on that as much.
“I can only affect what I’m doing right now so I trust that if I’m doing what I’m doing now, that will take care of itself.
Eze scored his first goal for England in March of this season
“I’m very excited [about England], I’m enjoying my football right now, I’m feeling good. I’ve come off quite a few injuries and a bit of a weird start to the season, weird middle part of the season as well, so to be in this position now and feeling good, feeling free and able to express myself fully, that’s all I want to be doing.
“I believe in myself, so as long as I can do that, then I always trust that I’ve got a chance.”
So what next after your best-ever season? For Eze – more of the same:
“I just want to enjoy, express, entertain, bring love to the people in the stands when they’re watching me play and to win”
