When Wilfried Zaha came off the bench for his Crystal Palace debut against Cardiff in March 2010, the unassuming 17-year-old did not leap out immediately as a star in the making.
But it was not long before he was terrorising defenders with the extravagant skills, close dribbling and searing pace that would come to define his career.
"He plays cage football on the Premier League stage", says Kwesi Appiah, his former team-mate. "He's a ridiculous, outrageous player and leaves a Palace legend."
Last night, Zaha joined Galatasaray on a free transfer after 90 goals and 76 assists in 458 games for Palace.
The boy who grew up in Thornton Heath departs as the greatest player in the club's history, according to club chairman Steve Parish.
Zaha arrived in south London from the Ivory Coast aged four, the eighth of nine children in a family seeking better opportunities.
He joined Palace Under-10s after being spotted playing for Whitehorse Wanderers and, barring a short move to Manchester United which included six months on loan at Cardiff, has been there ever since. Zaha made his Palace debut when the club were in danger of liquidation. Palace were taken over by Steve Parish's CPFC2010 consortium that summer and since then Zaha has symbolised the most successful era in their history.
He has been Palace's talisman during their decade-long stay in the Premier League, bamboozling opposition full-backs and delighting Eagles fans with step-overs, drag-backs and shimmies.
There have been some magical moments. His two goals at Brighton in the 2013 Championship play-off semi-final helped Palace into the Premier League, and the iconic commentary from Bill Leslie ["Zaha…. oh yes!"] is locked into Palace folklore.
"It was a special night — and he got both goals and even a header", says Gary Issott, Palace's academy director and a club coach since 2004. "He'd signed for United that January, so to come back [on loan] and help his team-mates achieve their dreams was even more admirable. That's what it's about: the academy producing players to help the first team. It was utopia for us."
Then there was his sensational solo strike against Hull in 2016, his goal that helped Palace win at Stamford Bridge in 2017 and another slalom run and strike at Huddersfield in 2018. He has often been targeted by oppositions fans — and defenders — but has revelled in his role as a pantomime villain. Zaha has been criticised by rival supporters for his lack of end product, but Palace fans know he has the talent to excel in the Champions League.
Zaha has consistently been one of the most fouled players in the Premier League but has ridden enough challenges to score 68 top-flight goals — more than Gareth Bale, Kevin De Bruyne, David Beckham, Paolo Di Canio and Gianfranco Zola.
"He's very quiet, very softly spoken," says Ray Lewington, Roy Hodgson's first-team coach at Selhurst Park. "He's a complex character. Wilf gets himself into scrapes with other players, referees, sometimes the crowd. He's just so intense, and it's because he wants to win so much. The only thing that stops him being in the real elite would be his consistency, but Wilf is as good as anyone I've ever seen. Wilf, on his day, is unplayable.
"If you had a mellow Wilf, you'd lose half of his effectiveness. In many ways Wilf hasn't changed that much, and I'm glad he hasn't. He's capable of anything."
Some Premier League full-backs will be glad to see the back of Zaha.
"He's so unpredictable but he means everything he does," Appiah tells Standard Sport. "You give him the ball, he wins the game for the team. It didn't need to be said."
Issott adds: "He's been an absolute icon for youth players. He gives up his time to speak to them. He's someone that we use a lot, when you're trying to catch a boy's imagination."
A mural of Zaha was recently unveiled outside Selhurst Park and Palace chairman Steve Parish said the giant artwork was a "fitting tribute".
Palace fans are sad to see him leave, but Appiah says: "You can't begrudge him that he's moved on because the guy has done a huge amount for the club. Is he Palace's greatest-ever player? No one else even comes close."
