Wilfried Zaha has joined MLS club Charlotte FC on a year-long loan from Galatasaray.
The 32-year-old will play for Charlotte throughout the 2025 season with his contract at the U.S. club running through to January 17, 2026, with an option to extend the agreement until June 30, 2026.
The Athletic reported on January 16 that Zaha was in advanced talks to join Charlotte on loan.
The arrangement ends the Ivory Coast international’s loan spell at French side Lyon, whom Zaha joined in August last year but where he has only made six appearances in all competitions and started only one game.
Let’s go 🤫@CharlotteFC pic.twitter.com/MCI4pO6rhc
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) January 22, 2025
Zaha joined Galatasaray as a free agent in the summer of 2023 after his contract at Premier League side Crystal Palace expired, but subsequently fell down the pecking order at the Istanbul club.
Despite making 43 appearances and scoring 10 goals for Galatasaray, only 20 of those appearances were as a starter.
Zaha is most well-known for his time at London club Palace, where he spent a combined 12 seasons — interrupted by a brief spell at Manchester United — and played 458 games.
Charlotte are one of the newer sides in MLS, having joined the league as part of a 2022 expansion. They reached the MLS Cup playoffs for the second straight season in 2024 but were eliminated in the first round by Orlando City.
(Ahmad Mora/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
