Eberechi Eze scored a majestic hat-trick for Arsenal as they trounced north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 to open up a commanding six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
For 36 minutes the derby was a cagey contest with Tottenham frustrating Mikel Arteta’s side, but the hosts struck three times in 10 minutes either side of halftime.
Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock from close range before Eze, the player Arsenal snatched in a summer transfer tussle with Tottenham, rifled in Arsenal’s second after 41 minutes.
The second half was only seconds old when Eze again found space on the edge of the area to dispatch another shot inside the post and put his side in complete control.
Tottenham got a lifeline out of the blue in stunning fashion in the 55th minute when Richarlison lobbed Arsenal keeper David Raya from near the centre circle.
The visitors were more of a threat in the second half but Arsenal never really looked troubled and Eze completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute with another clinical finish.
Arsenal, unbeaten in nine league games, have 29 points from 12 games, with second-placed Chelsea on 23. Tottenham’s first away league defeat of the season left them ninth on 18 points.
Eze was at the centre of a summer transfer battle between the two north London clubs, with Arsenal scooping the former Crystal Palace forward from under the noses of their rivals.
If that was not bad enough, the England international rubbed Tottenham’s noses in it on Sunday as he lit up his first north London derby in scintillating fashion.
Tottenham had been impressive away from home under new manager Thomas Frank with no defeats and only three goals conceded in the Premier League before Sunday.
Frank set his side up conservatively for his first taste of the derby with containment not entertainment on his mind.
Three central defenders, two holding midfielders and deep full backs restricted Arsenal to just one real chance in the opening half an hour with Eze’s scooped pass met on the volley by Declan Rice and Guglielmo Vicario saving well.
Vicario was not called into serious action again until the 33rd minute when he sprang to his right to keep out a Bukayo Saka free kick.
But the breakthrough came soon after as, for once, Arsenal found space in the Tottenham area with Mikel Merino’s chipped pass controlled by Trossard with his back to goal.
The Belgian took a touch and his shot on the turn nicked off Micky van de Ven to give Vicario no chance.
Tottenham’s negative game plan was in tatters when Eze turned on the edge of the area and fired a low shot through a crowd and beyond Vicario.
The visitors sent on attacking midfielder Xavi Simons at halftime but within seconds of the restart it was effectively all over as a contest as once again Eze was allowed too much time and he thrashed a shot past Vicario.
Tottenham had not landed a glove on Arsenal for 55 minutes but scored with their first shot on target as Joao Palhinha won the ball just inside Arsenal’s half and Richarlison, spotting Raya off his line, floated a 45-metre shot into the net.
It maintained Tottenham’s record of scoring in every away derby at Arsenal since 2017 and for a while they were re-energised.
But any hope of a comeback ended when Eze yet again found space and his finish was sublime.
Eberechi Eze has explained why he is convinced it will be a great season for Arsenal as he works towards becoming a “complete player”.
The Premier League leaders sit four points above second-place Manchester City after 11 games and are expected to go deep in the Champions League as well this season.
Arsenal have finished second in the league in each of the last three seasons but have been the top-flight’s strongest team in the first three months of this campaign as they bid for a first league title since 2003-04.
New signings such as Eze, Noni Madueke, and Martin Zubimendi have made a positive impact.
“I am confident it will be a great season,” Eze said after scoring a sublime goal for England in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Serbia. “That’s the aim. That’s what we’re striving towards and working towards every day, club and country. I guess it’s an exciting time.”
England head into Sunday’s final qualifier in Albania yet to concede a single goal in Group K, and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side have conceded just five goals in the league.
Eze, asked about playing for teams that don’t ship goals, said: “It’s good to be part of these types of squads where the players at the back are so solid and so on it, and they’re just so structured.
“You control a lot of the game, and you have plenty of opportunities to go up the other end. So yes, it’s fun for me, and it’s enjoyable, and I pray to God it continues.”
Eberechi Eze scored his first goal for Arsenal in their 2-0 League Cup win over Port Vale on Wednesday and manager Mikel Arteta said the attacking midfielder will deliver more “magic moments” when he clicks with his new teammates.
Eze, signed from Crystal Palace for a reported 68 million pounds ($91.52 million) last month, opened the scoring against the third-tier side in the eighth minute with a deft side-footed finish before Leandro Trossard killed the game off late on.
Arteta said Eze had been calm and comfortable in possession against a well-organised side.
“He played very centrally against a team that’s obviously with a 5-4-1, they are super compact inside, it’s not easy to find spaces but he’s very capable with the ball,” Arteta told reporters.
“He still needs a little more time with those guys to understand the timings, especially the things that he needs to do.
“Then actions like that will be more consistent and better for us. In general, very good – there is still a lot more to give …,
“At the end, what we want to do with him is to get him in positions, in spaces, that he can create his magic moments and the difference in the team.”
Arsenal, who host Brighton in the next round, visit Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Nigerian descent Eberechi Eze, speaking after his move to Arsenal, revealed his dream and passion to playing professional football for The Gunners. After winning the FA Cup and Community Shield for Crystal Palace, the England international joined Arsenal in a deal of £67.5m on a four-year contract, with the option of a fifth year.
Eze’s early football career began at Arsenal, but he was released at age thirteen. He then moved on to play for Fulham and Reading before settling at Millwall, where he signed a two-year scholarship.
Since he joined Crystal Palace in 2020, the 27-year-old has made four appearances at the Emirates Stadium and scored in his most recent visit, which ended in a 2-2 draw this past April.
Despite playing for the Eagles, Eze admitted that on each of those visits, his primary goal was to impress the decision-makers of The Gunners club in hopes of fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“I thought about coming back from the moment I understood other clubs and what it meant to become a pro,” he revealed. “I’ve always thought: ‘Arsenal is where it’s at, that’s what I want to achieve, what I want to get to.’
“I’ve been on trial for four years, if I’m being honest. Every time I came to Arsenal, I looked at the seat that I used to sit on when I used to come to games with my brothers, and I’ve said every single time: ‘this is it – it’s time, this is an opportunity.’ I’m not going to say I knew it was going to happen, but that’s the feeling.
“As a player, I have a level of belief in myself. I’ve been playing how I’ve been playing, I’ve been developing this and that, and I had the heart that if it’s meant to be, it will happen, and I believe it will. But if it doesn’t, I’m at peace because I know I’m giving everything. So for it to happen now and to be in this position, there is a bit more energy inside the tank.”
While speaking on settling down well with Arsenal’s team, Eze revealed that the Manager, Mikel Arteta, and the Sport Director, Andrea Berta, will help him take his game to the next level as he aims to keep his career moving on the same upward trajectory.
He also admitted that having fellow England teammates like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, and Myles Lewis-Skelly on the team will help him settle into the squad quickly.
“I can see his energy, I can see the level of passion that he has. That’s everything I need, I know that, I can see that. Andrea Berta as well, I know they’re going to make me better,” Eze said on his early encounter with Arteta.
“There were talks about position, but as long as I’m on the pitch and given the opportunity to play and express myself in that environment, then it doesn’t matter where I’m playing. Of course, he has ideas and things that he wants, but for me, I’m free.”
“It definitely makes it easier to settle into an environment if you know you’ve got guys that will be honest with you, will help you and put an arm around you when you need it. So, for me, it’s the perfect environment and a step on from where I’ve been.
“I’m only going to get better, I’m only going to improve, I’m only going to work harder, so, for me, it feels like the perfect environment to do everything that I’ve dreamed of.”
However, the winger expressed his strong desire to win trophies and achieve every possible success in football with the Gunners.
“I just want to win, I want to win whatever’s there,” he smiled. “I feel like I’ve got a taste for it now, and to contribute, to give whatever I can to help the team win. I’m on it. That’s my mentality.
“I’ve seen what it means, I’ve seen what you can do, not just to your teammates and the staff but I can see what you can do to people when you win, when you bring that type of joy to the place. So to be part of that, that’s my aim.”
Mum’s Prayer
Reflecting on his path back to Arsenal, Eze revealed that a prayer from his mum all those years ago has finally been answered.
Ebere said: “I remember the day I got released; my mum said a prayer that this reverse would happen. For me, this is a realisation of a prayer that we prayed for. This is deeper than anyone can understand. I can see God’s hand in it, so I know it’s meant to be.
“I still haven’t fully processed everything; I’m just floating right now. I’ll go home, go over everything, speak with people and then I’ll start to settle in. But, I know what this thing is, I know what it means, and I know where we’ve come from as a family.
“I can only thank God for the opportunity to be here, to be playing and to be recognised in this type of manner. For me, this is what I wanted to do. [The club] is in me, it’s part of me and I just feel so blessed. That just gives me more energy to keep pushing and keep working.”
A boyhood Gooner, the England winger spent five years in our academy before being released aged 13, but ever since those teenage years he admits he never gave up hope that he would one day pull on our famous red and white shirt again.
That was a hope also held by his mother, and Ebere feels their faith, belief and hard work have paid off with his destiny finally. being realised now he has completed his move from Crystal Palace.
The 27-year-old saw many legendary players strut their stuff in front of him as he cheered them on from the sidelines as a youngster, and now he has the chance to follow in their footsteps, he has opted to select the number 10 shirt worn by some of the biggest names in our history, such as Dennis Bergkamp.
Eberechi Eze will not make his Arsenal debut against Leeds United on Saturday evening, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The England international underwent his medical on Friday morning after Crystal Palace and the Gunners reached an agreement for his transfer earlier this week.
Considering he would not have trained once with his new teammates, Eze being included in the squad was always hard to imagine. It was also unlikely that everything was sorted in time for the 12 pm Premier League registration deadline.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Arsenal are eyeing a discount to sign Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, who is keen on joining the club this summer.
The Gunners have had a busy transfer window with six signings to date. They have already spent almost £200 million on new recruits, but there could be one more major signing.
It is an open secret that Arsenal are interested in landing Eze, and Jacobs claim that the club plan to sign him for less than his £68 million release clause.
England and Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze is wanted by Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester City – could the 26-year-old be the man to revitalise the Gunners’ left-wing issues and help fire them to the Premier League title? Asks Sky Sports’ Ron Walker
Eberechi Eze has been linked with a move across London to Tottenham for much of the summer. But now Arsenal have taken an interest in the 26-year-old, could a couple of stops further up the Victoria Line on the London Underground be the better option?
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo had been the main line of interest for the Gunners all summer with separate reports Gabriel Martinelli could be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium.
The 23-year-old has not kicked on in the way Mikel Arteta would have hoped, despite scoring eight goals from the left flank last season. He may have better luck as an out-and-out striker, where he was briefly tested and scored against Liverpool towards the end of the campaign, but the problem out wide remains.
Leandro Trossard has proven a useful squad player and arguably over performed since his move, almost matching Eze’s output last season in fewer minutes but neither he, nor Martinelli, consistently reach the kind of level Arsenal demand with their desire to bridge the gap to champions Liverpool.
The Gunners’ frontline has become lop-sided without an outlet able to rival Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank, and shortly before his injury in December 45 per cent of attacks were coming from the right third of the pitch. Arteta knows something has to change.
Despite that long-standing interest in Rodrygo, the manager and new sporting director Andrea Berta now have their eyes on Eze too. Sky Sports News has previously reported interest from Spurs, Manchester City and Newcastle, but why are the Gunners the latest to keep tabs on the Crystal Palace talisman?
Failing to turn draws into wins was one of the main issues of Arsenal’s season last year. There was no rocket science to it – they found it difficult to break teams down, winning only seven of 17 games where they had 60 per cent of possession or more.
On average, they picked up 0.4 points per game more when they had less, their shot quality was about 20 per cent higher and they ultimately scored over half a goal more on average.
Struggling against deep blocks is not an Arsenal-isolated problem but it is something the likes of Martinelli, the Gunners’ fastest player in 2024/25 and an explosive forward, is unlikely to fix. He completed barely a third of his dribbles in the Premier League last season.
Trossard can produce in those situations, though Arsenal and Arteta want more consistency. This is where their pursuit of Rodyrgo and Eze becomes more clear, with both capable of working in tight spaces and helping to break down teams.
Only four attacking players completed more take-ons than Eze in the Premier League last season, with a success rate just over half, and almost identical to Rodyrgo’s in LaLiga.
It’s no surprise, given the London born-and-raised winger’s footballing education. “Even in academies while I was training, I would still go back to the cages and play with friends,” he said earlier this year. “It’s probably where I learned most of how I play.
“Ball control, being able to run past players, handling the ball in tight spaces, being able to get knocked by bigger players and getting up. It’s literally doing what you can to be as effective as you can be in harsh circumstances. For sure, that’s built me and helped me become the player I am today.”
Arteta’s desire for control underpins Arsenal’s consistently high ball possession, which has created some of those pitfalls. The system demands not only creativity under pressure but also a defensive work ethic.
Eze having won the ball back in the middle and defensive third more than almost any other attacking player in the Premier League last season, and considerably more per game than Martinelli, Trossard or Rodrygo over in Spain will only add to the eye test that has surely drawn Arteta in already.
Sporting director Berta will also be keenly aware of the potential benefit to Arsenal’s balance sheets should they land Eze for his reduced price tag, a £60m release clause compared to the €90m (£76.9m) widely quoted for Rodrygo. In addition, He does not carry the same concerns about struggling to adjust to the league, either.
The biggest question will be where Eze’s upward trajectory can lead. He has already begun to show it on the international stage, and was one of few to impress for England in the despondent defeat to Senegal this month.
No-one expects him to reach Saka levels but a slow start to the season like his four goal involvements before the New Year at Selhurst Park last season will not be acceptable for a club with title ambitions.
Unquestionably though, the talent is there. Now, it’s up to Arsenal to decide if their desire is too.
Crystal Palace midfielder and England international Eberechi Eze honored his Nigerian Igbo heritage in a vibrant traditional wedding ceremony held in London.
The event, which coincided with Biafra Heroes Day—a significant date for the Igbo community—marked a heartfelt celebration of culture, love, and identity for the footballer.
Eze, born in Greenwich, Greater London, on June 29, 1998, to Igbo Nigerian parents from Mbaise, Imo State, has always maintained a deep connection to his roots despite his decision to represent England internationally.
As a player of Nigerian descent, Eze had the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s national football team, and even trained with them at one point.
The wedding was a stunning display of Igbo tradition, with Eze donning the iconic Isiagu top—a traditional Igbo garment.
Photos from the event captured the essence of Igbo communal traditions, with elders dressed in traditional attire, including white garments with intricate patterns and red caps.
In 2019, Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick met with Eze to persuade him to switch allegiance, and coach Gernot Rohr maintained regular contact with the young star.
However, Eze ultimately opted to play for England, where he made his senior debut in 2023 and later represented the Three Lions at UEFA Euro 2024.
This connection to his heritage was beautifully showcased during his traditional wedding to his longtime partner, Izuthe Mulatto, whom he legally married in the UK on May 27, 2022.
The couple, who have been together since their secondary school days and went public with their relationship in 2019, chose to celebrate their union with an Igbo ceremony that highlighted the rich customs of Eze’s heritage.
On the verge of leaving Crystal Palace after helping to secure the FA Cup for the South London team, and a trophy after a long time, midfielder Eberechi Eze will be missed greatly. When Marc Guéhi and Joel Ward went up to collect the FA Cup, it seemed like a dream for 30,000 fans wearing red and blue. The sense of disbelief Crystal Palace supporters felt when the full-time whistle at Wembley ended their wait to win a major trophy will probably take a few more days to fade away given its taken almost 120 years to become a reality.
Eze has inspired the club all season scoring the single goal that clinched the trophy against former champions Manchester City.
EZE FOUNDATION
The English international with roots in Nigeria will not, however, only be missed on the field of play but also for his charitable spirit.
While the FA Cup celebration was still ongoing, ‘Eze Foundation’ rolled out the drum at his Foundation’s Invitational event.
Eze outlined why he loves giving back to the community in and around South London.
The Eze Invitational is a grassroots football tournament which has been hosted by the Eze Foundation at the end of every season for the past three years.
He said: “Giving back has always been something that’s on our hearts,” Palace’s No. 10 explained.
“We want to expose them (young people playing in the Invitational) to football and to being at a professional club and not having to pay for anything, no stumbling blocks along the way that are stopping you from playing football, which is normally the case when you’re young or when you’re coming from difficult areas.
“I’m grateful to God to be in this position to do it because so many people would love to do things like this.”
Rejection and Pains
Eze is also grateful for what he has achieved given that he would have given up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer. After all, the youngster from a council estate in Greenwich, south-east London, had experienced nothing but pain, frustration and crushing rejection.
“I remember facing Arsenal a few months after being released by them [at the age of 13] and welling up because of all the emotions and not dealing properly with the feelings of being released,” says Eze.
“I didn’t know how to process it. I had tears ready to pour down my face.”
Having been told by Millwall he would not be handed a professional contract at the end of a two-year scholarship in 2016, Eze had another trial – this time with Sunderland – which was unsuccessful.
His confidence was at an all-time low. Then Queens Park Rangers offered him a chance – and the rest is history.
From growing up playing football with jumpers for goalposts in a cage with friends to representing England at Euro 2024, Eze’s story is one of resilience, determination, faith and self-belief.
It is a journey full of rejections and tribulations that is all too familiar with so many youngsters who have spent time in academies up and down the country.
“I remember the deflation,” Eze says about the knockbacks he received as he tried to find his way in the game.
“But all I kept asking myself was: ‘When’s the next trial? When’s the next trial?’”
The first ‘Eze Invitational Grassroots Football Tournament’ was held back in 2023 at the John Roan School playing fields in South London – the school pitches which Ebere and his brothers Kechi and Chima played on as children.
It has grown on a huge scale since, with each annual Invitational tournament getting bigger and bigger since.
“To be able to put on a tournament that’s just free for kids that can come and play and they can enjoy themselves, that’s something that we would have dreamed of as young kids.
“That’s the football side, but then also it’s just exposing them to opportunities outside of the world of football, outside of what is the norm in South London.
“I just thought [when I was younger], ‘I want to play football. I want to make it; I want to achieve my dream.’
“And it’s tough, because when I speak about it, I realise that a lot of it isn’t down to me. So I could easily be someone else, doing something else, or whatever, but this is the path that was made for me and it was my responsibility just to keep going, just to keep trying, to keep pursuing it.
“[To have] the ability to do things like this and to inspire people, that’s what I want to do and I’m so grateful for it.”
The third Eze Invitational took place at the Crystal Palace Academy, which was opened by former England manager and Palace captain Gareth Southgate.
Southgate himself came up through the ranks in south London, well before the state-of-the-art Category 1 Academy existed, and he was also managing Eze when he received his first-ever cap for England.
Gareth Southgate
In his speech when he opened the Academy, Southgate highlighted the importance of having people to look up to, which Eze picked up upon: “That is something that we’re lacking massively – male role models.
“We’re looking for people that we can look up to, to actually show us what it means to be a man, what it means to strive for something, to become something, to make something of yourself.
“And that’s something that we’re definitely lacking now, which is why even in my position, maybe there’s certain things that I don’t want to do, but I feel the obligation to do because I understand what it means to people, what it means for a young person to be successful. How I live my life is important.
“People are watching and people look up to you. So again, it’s not even just to inspire people here. Other people that are in my position, I want them to see and to understand that – okay, this is what I’m doing, but really you should be doing it where you’re from.
“And we should all be trying to do the same type of thing and to inspire the youth and create a change, because it’s needed.”
Palace for Life Foundation
The Eze Foundation also works closely with the club’s own charity, the Palace for Life Foundation, providing workshops alongside the Premier League. They also hold regular talks and workshops at Eze’s former school in South East London, the John Roan School, and career days have been held with numerous global brands.
Recognition
Eze and Fliss Gibbons’ outstanding support for the South London community has seen the Crystal Palace duo recognised with the 2024/25 PFA Community Champions awards.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Community Champion awards recognize those who have gone above and beyond for their club’s local communities, with Gibbons and Eze being honoured for doing so this season.
Since joining the club in 2022, Gibbons – who is retiring from professional football – has been a prominent supporter of the Palace for Life Foundation, helping to make a real difference in the lives of many young South Londoners.
As well as regularly attending sessions with the DS Eagles, the Foundation’s initiative which provides sports sessions for people with Down’s Syndrome, off her own back, Gibbons sung and starred in the video of their recent cover of Glad All Over, which highlighted GAME ON, Palace for Life’s flagship employment programme.
Gibbons also took part in the Foundation’s community showcase on Match of the Day, helping to make cheesecakes and pizzas with the DS Eagles, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Chloe Arthur; and encouraged many to come along and support the Foundation’s work throughout the season.
Eze, meanwhile, also donated huge amounts of time and energy towards supporting Palace for Life’s initiatives and mission.
The England international provided a massively memorable moment for the DS Eagles, surprising the group at our Christmas shoot alongside Palace captain Marc Guéhi, and joined in Premier League Inspires sessions with the Foundation, being on a judging panel with his brother Ikechi as they listened to students pitch ideas on how to improve gender equality in sport.
Eze also spoke at length with participants of a local SEND school when they visited the Palace training ground recently, and spent a lot of time getting to know Palace for Life coach Pat Gordon, the Foundation’s Community Captain, with whom he presented an armband, trophy, pennant and signed shirt to mark Pat’s work on a range of programmes to support South Londoners over the past decade.
A Women’s and Men’s team player receive the award each year, with previous recipients including Aimee Everett, Chloe Arthur, Leigh Nicol, Amber Stobbs and Ashlee Hincks; and Chris Richards, Tyrick Mitchell, Nathan Ferguson, Joel Ward and Wilfried Zaha.
Palace for Life Foundation is the official charity of Crystal Palace F.C., which has been working with the south London community for over 25 years.
The Foundation use the power of football and the Palace community to change the lives of young people across south London, particularly the most hard-to-reach and hard-to-help, working with over 15,000 people each year to inspire them to find a better path and to lead a healthier life.
The money raised will go towards three key areas of the Foundation’s work: Keeping more young people away from knife crime, violence and anti-social behaviour, helping more young people find career and job opportunities and supporting more young people with their mental and physical health.
On the verge of leaving Crystal Palace after helping to secure the FA Cup for the South London team, and a trophy after a long time, midfielder Eberechi Eze will be missed greatly. When Marc Guéhi and Joel Ward went up to collect the FA Cup, it seemed like a dream for 30,000 fans wearing red and blue. The sense of disbelief Crystal Palace supporters felt when the full-time whistle at Wembley ended their wait to win a major trophy will probably take a few more days to fade away given its taken almost 120 years to become a reality.
Eze has inspired the club all season scoring the single goal that clinched the trophy against former champions Manchester City.
EZE FOUNDATION
The English international with roots in Nigeria will not, however, only be missed on the field of play but also for his charitable spirit.
While the FA Cup celebration was still ongoing, ‘Eze Foundation’ rolled out the drum at his Foundation’s Invitational event.
Eze outlined why he loves giving back to the community in and around South London.
The Eze Invitational is a grassroots football tournament which has been hosted by the Eze Foundation at the end of every season for the past three years.
He said: “Giving back has always been something that’s on our hearts,” Palace’s No. 10 explained.
“We want to expose them (young people playing in the Invitational) to football and to being at a professional club and not having to pay for anything, no stumbling blocks along the way that are stopping you from playing football, which is normally the case when you’re young or when you’re coming from difficult areas.
“I’m grateful to God to be in this position to do it because so many people would love to do things like this.”
Rejection and Pains
Eze is also grateful for what he has achieved given that he would have given up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer. After all, the youngster from a council estate in Greenwich, south-east London, had experienced nothing but pain, frustration and crushing rejection.
“I remember facing Arsenal a few months after being released by them [at the age of 13] and welling up because of all the emotions and not dealing properly with the feelings of being released,” says Eze.
“I didn’t know how to process it. I had tears ready to pour down my face.”
Having been told by Millwall he would not be handed a professional contract at the end of a two-year scholarship in 2016, Eze had another trial – this time with Sunderland – which was unsuccessful.
His confidence was at an all-time low. Then Queens Park Rangers offered him a chance – and the rest is history.
From growing up playing football with jumpers for goalposts in a cage with friends to representing England at Euro 2024, Eze’s story is one of resilience, determination, faith and self-belief.
It is a journey full of rejections and tribulations that is all too familiar with so many youngsters who have spent time in academies up and down the country.
“I remember the deflation,” Eze says about the knockbacks he received as he tried to find his way in the game.
“But all I kept asking myself was: ‘When’s the next trial? When’s the next trial?’”
The first ‘Eze Invitational Grassroots Football Tournament’ was held back in 2023 at the John Roan School playing fields in South London – the school pitches which Ebere and his brothers Kechi and Chima played on as children.
It has grown on a huge scale since, with each annual Invitational tournament getting bigger and bigger since.
“To be able to put on a tournament that’s just free for kids that can come and play and they can enjoy themselves, that’s something that we would have dreamed of as young kids.
“That’s the football side, but then also it’s just exposing them to opportunities outside of the world of football, outside of what is the norm in South London.
“I just thought [when I was younger], ‘I want to play football. I want to make it; I want to achieve my dream.’
“And it’s tough, because when I speak about it, I realise that a lot of it isn’t down to me. So I could easily be someone else, doing something else, or whatever, but this is the path that was made for me and it was my responsibility just to keep going, just to keep trying, to keep pursuing it.
“[To have] the ability to do things like this and to inspire people, that’s what I want to do and I’m so grateful for it.”
The third Eze Invitational took place at the Crystal Palace Academy, which was opened by former England manager and Palace captain Gareth Southgate.
Southgate himself came up through the ranks in south London, well before the state-of-the-art Category 1 Academy existed, and he was also managing Eze when he received his first-ever cap for England.
Gareth Southgate
In his speech when he opened the Academy, Southgate highlighted the importance of having people to look up to, which Eze picked up upon: “That is something that we’re lacking massively – male role models.
“We’re looking for people that we can look up to, to actually show us what it means to be a man, what it means to strive for something, to become something, to make something of yourself.
“And that’s something that we’re definitely lacking now, which is why even in my position, maybe there’s certain things that I don’t want to do, but I feel the obligation to do because I understand what it means to people, what it means for a young person to be successful. How I live my life is important.
“People are watching and people look up to you. So again, it’s not even just to inspire people here. Other people that are in my position, I want them to see and to understand that – okay, this is what I’m doing, but really you should be doing it where you’re from.
“And we should all be trying to do the same type of thing and to inspire the youth and create a change, because it’s needed.”
Palace for Life Foundation
The Eze Foundation also works closely with the club’s own charity, the Palace for Life Foundation, providing workshops alongside the Premier League. They also hold regular talks and workshops at Eze’s former school in South East London, the John Roan School, and career days have been held with numerous global brands.
Recognition
Eze and Fliss Gibbons’ outstanding support for the South London community has seen the Crystal Palace duo recognised with the 2024/25 PFA Community Champions awards.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Community Champion awards recognize those who have gone above and beyond for their club’s local communities, with Gibbons and Eze being honoured for doing so this season.
Since joining the club in 2022, Gibbons – who is retiring from professional football – has been a prominent supporter of the Palace for Life Foundation, helping to make a real difference in the lives of many young South Londoners.
As well as regularly attending sessions with the DS Eagles, the Foundation’s initiative which provides sports sessions for people with Down’s Syndrome, off her own back, Gibbons sung and starred in the video of their recent cover of Glad All Over, which highlighted GAME ON, Palace for Life’s flagship employment programme.
Gibbons also took part in the Foundation’s community showcase on Match of the Day, helping to make cheesecakes and pizzas with the DS Eagles, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Chloe Arthur; and encouraged many to come along and support the Foundation’s work throughout the season.
Eze, meanwhile, also donated huge amounts of time and energy towards supporting Palace for Life’s initiatives and mission.
The England international provided a massively memorable moment for the DS Eagles, surprising the group at our Christmas shoot alongside Palace captain Marc Guéhi, and joined in Premier League Inspires sessions with the Foundation, being on a judging panel with his brother Ikechi as they listened to students pitch ideas on how to improve gender equality in sport.
Eze also spoke at length with participants of a local SEND school when they visited the Palace training ground recently, and spent a lot of time getting to know Palace for Life coach Pat Gordon, the Foundation’s Community Captain, with whom he presented an armband, trophy, pennant and signed shirt to mark Pat’s work on a range of programmes to support South Londoners over the past decade.
A Women’s and Men’s team player receive the award each year, with previous recipients including Aimee Everett, Chloe Arthur, Leigh Nicol, Amber Stobbs and Ashlee Hincks; and Chris Richards, Tyrick Mitchell, Nathan Ferguson, Joel Ward and Wilfried Zaha.
Palace for Life Foundation is the official charity of Crystal Palace F.C., which has been working with the south London community for over 25 years.
The Foundation use the power of football and the Palace community to change the lives of young people across south London, particularly the most hard-to-reach and hard-to-help, working with over 15,000 people each year to inspire them to find a better path and to lead a healthier life.
The money raised will go towards three key areas of the Foundation’s work: Keeping more young people away from knife crime, violence and anti-social behaviour, helping more young people find career and job opportunities and supporting more young people with their mental and physical health.
