Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace and music sensation Stormzy have reached an agreement to purchase non-league club AFC Croydon.
The duo both grew up in South London borough and they are part of a three-man consortium together with former Palace head of player care Danny young.
AFC Croydon currently competes in the ninth tier of English football and is based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England.
AFC Croydon announced the agreement, saying: “The consortium will own, operate and develop their childhood hometown football club.”
They went on to add that: “Whilst completion is subject to legislative and governance procedures, the three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities.”
“They hope to take the entire community on this exciting journey with them.”
AFC Croydon were founded in 2012 after Croydon Athletic folded and they are affiliated to the London Football Association.
The Ivory Coast international started his professional career at Crystal Palace before he joined Manchester United in 2013.
Zaha re-joined Palace on a season-long loan in August 2014 after a loan spell at Cardiff, which was made permanent in February, 2015.
Wilfried Zaha switched allegiance to Ivory Coast from England and went on to win 31 caps for his birth country after winning two caps for England.
Wilfried Zaha shared a tweet following the announcement by the non-league club, saying: “May the journey begin.”
Music sensation and rapper Stormzy has released three hit albums and have also won three Brits awards to his name.
Stormzy, 29, is reportedly a Manchester United fan, and was also the England manager at Soccer Aid 2023.
Wilfried Zaha
Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha is a professional footballer who was born on 10 November, 1992 and plays as a forward for Crystal Palace and the Ivory Coast national team.
And surprisingly, in his first three full seasons at Selhurst Park, he bagged 18 goals in all competitions for the club.
Zaha joined Manchester United in January 2013 for an initial fee of £10 million (which was the most expensive Crystal Palace player sold at the time).
Wilfried Zaha however, remained on loan at Crystal Palace until the end of the season, where he helped The Eagles return to the Premier League.
Zaha returned to Palace in August 2014 on a season-long loan after an unsuccessful 2013–14 season with Manchester United (mostly spent on loan at Cardiff City).
The following season, the 30-year-old rejoined Crystal Palace on a permanent basis and he has since become the club’s 12th-highest goal scorer.
Who Is Stormzy?
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., known as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter who was born on 26 July, 1993 in Croydon, London.
Stormzy gained attention on the UK underground music scene in 2014 through his Wicked Skengman series of freestyles over classic grime beats.
Stormzy’s mother is Ghanaian, and his father was a taxi driver and he is a cousin to rapper Nadia Rose.
The rapper grew up in South Norwood, London, with his mother, brother, and two sisters.
Stormzy did not hail from a particularly musical background, but fell in love with the field over time. He attended Stanley Tech South, Norwood.
The British rapper began rapping at the age of 11 and used to clash with older rappers at his local youth club.
What do you think about Wilfried Zaha and Stormzy buying a clubside? Are we about to see the fairytale transformation of Croydon just like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney did at Wrexham?
