Galatasaray forward Wilfried Zaha celebrated scoring an equalizer against his former club Manchester United by cupping his ears to the Old Trafford crowd.
The 30-year-old Ivory Coast international, who signed a three-year deal with Okan Buruk’s side in July, made his return to The Theatre of Dreams on Tuesday night.
Just six minutes after Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring in the Champions League Group A match, Zaha outmuscled Diogo Dalot and found the net.
Before the kick-off, the former Crystal Palace winger offered a succinct response when questioned about his challenging two-year stint at Manchester United.
“I’ll be honest, when you look at my face do you think I am bothered at all? No,” he said.
“I went through a phase in my career, you either build from it or die. It built my character. I was determined not to let my career die out.”
He certainly proved his worth with the goal, and moments later, he made his feelings known by cupping his ears towards the Old Trafford faithful.
Check out the celebration below:
Well… that lead didn’t last long for Manchester United 😬
Wilfried Zaha levels the score against his former club on his return to England 👊#UCL pic.twitter.com/vZWZpLZUft
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023
Back in 2018, Zaha admitted that his two-year spell at Manchester United made him “down and depressed” as he struggled to break into their first-team plans.
“Obviously, getting to United isn’t easy, so not being given a chance is hard to take. I don’t regret anything because it made me stronger. I feel as though I can deal with anything now,” he toldThe Sun.
“I went through so much with United, with England. There were rumours that the reason I wasn’t playing for United was because I slept with David Moyechampos’s daughter, and no one attempted to clear that up.”
He added: “So I was fighting my demons by myself, these rumours that I knew weren’t true.
“I was dealing with this at 19 – living in Manchester by myself, nowhere near anyone else, because the club had a hold over where I lived. They hadn’t given me a car, like every other player. Nothing.
“I’m living in this hell by myself, away from my family, and I thought, ‘If this doesn’t make me stronger, what will?’
“When I was at United I had money, but I was still so down and depressed. People think your life’s different because you’ve got money, you’ve got fame, so they don’t treat you the same.”