Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze made a public appearance with his injured leg and shared the moment on Instagram.
In the picture the 23-year-old Nigerian-born English attacking midfielder shared on Instagram, the footballer could be seen using crutches while posing with a big smile.
Eberechi Eze got injured in May 2021 during training with his teammates at Crystal Palace. The injury came when the head coach of the Three Lions of England, Gareth Southgate was reportedly considering inviting him to the national team.
It was also the same period the football association in Nigeria was trying to start a process that would make Eberechi Eze switch his allegiance to the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Eze’s injury was so bad that he had to undergo surgery after it was confirmed that he had injured his Achilles. After the surgery, it was confirmed that the 23-year-old attacking midfielder would stay out of football for 6 months. This means that he will return to football in January.
Hence, Crystal Palace will start the 2021-2022 season without the attacking midfielder who joined the club on August 28, 2020, for €17.80 million from the Championship side, QPR.
In his first season at Crystal Palace, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder played 34 times in the Premier League and scored four goals in the league. He also made one appearance each in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Eberechi Eze and his football career so far
Eberechi Eze was born in Greenwich, Greater London, England to Nigerian parents on 29 June 1998. The football star started pursuing a career in football from childhood with the support of his father.
After a series of failed trials, he got picked by Arsenal and then dropped when he turned thirteen. That did not discourage him from pursuing his career.
Eze went on to join Fulham and Reading before he ended up at Millwall on a two-year scholarship which did not end up in a professional contract.
When it seems football would not work for the talented footballer, Eze decided to return to college. However, he got his break when QPR’s technical director Chris Ramsey picked interest in him and subsequently gave him a professional contract on 3 August 2016.
Still, things didn’t start perfectly for him as injuries made it difficult for him to establish himself at the club. Hence, he went on loan to Wycombe Wanderers in 2017. He picked up an outstanding form at the club which hasty his return to QPR.
From the 2017-2018 season until Crystal Palace came for his services in 2020, the attacking midfielder became a delight to most football fans in the English second-tier league.
“Fast-forward to 2021 and I’m counting my blessings to see where my hard work has taken me”, Eze told Versus.
“Signing for Crystal Palace last summer felt right. I was coming back to South London and I was fulfilling a lifelong ambition of playing in the Premier League. Once I started playing regularly for QPR I knew the only way was up. My faith in God and my belief in myself were absolute.
“One of the proudest moments of my career was seeing my family after my first Premier League game. I was so grateful for everything they’d sacrificed to bring me here.”
When he recovers from his Achilles injury, Eberechi Eze who has until June 30, 2025, before his contract with Crystal Palace expires, will work under a new coach at the club, Patrick Vieira. The Arsenal legend replaced Roy Hodgson who left the club at the end of the 2020-2021 season after four years of service.
