Wilfried Zaha - Crystal PalaceGetty Images

Crystal Palace’s Zaha reveals 10% contribution to charity and London academy dream

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha has revealed his charity efforts to help the disadvantaged in society.

The Ivorian – who was the Eagles’ top scorer in the season that just concluded with 14 goals - added that he has been donating part of his wages to a charity run by his sister.

"Since I started playing, when I got a proper, decent contract, I’ve been giving 10% of my wages back [to charity]," Zaha told the club’s website. "My sister has got an orphanage, but I kind of take care of it, so it comes under the umbrella of my foundation.

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"It takes care of orphans, it takes care of widows with kids if they can’t afford school clothes or school equipment. I’ve tried my best to do what I can."

In south London, Zaha also has a football academy that he hopes will grow into a bigger venture.

"I’ve got a little football academy that I’ve started here," he added. "Kids can come down and just enjoy playing football. It’s every half-term or Easter break. Every now and then I’ll pop by to see the kids as well.

"I think compared to other people’s academies it’s just started, but I know the possibilities are endless. Hopefully, I can get [it to be] massive and loads of kids [can] go there.

"It’s just an idea that I've managed to put together right now, but I'm just going to see how it goes and see what the bigger picture is."

The former Manchester United player also spoke about his faith and how it has helped him keep moving, especially when in difficulties.

"I’ve gone through so many different scenarios where I’ve felt like I've had to just rely on my faith because at a point it felt like that was all I had," he explained.

"Because when you’re going through certain things in life, it just feels like you may have people around you, but you feel alone.

"I’ve gone through stages where that’s how I felt, and it just felt like God is the only person who I could fall back on. Me doing that has kept me and brought me to where I am now. It's just faith."

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