Ex-Wycombe man Eberechi Eze becomes first former Chairboy to win the FA Cup
Former Wycombe Wanderers winger and fan favourite Eberechi Eze has become the first ex-Chairboy to win the FA Cup after leaving the club.
The 26-year-old, who spent half of the 2017/18 season with the Adams Park side, scored the winning goal in Crystal Palace's 1-0 victory against Manchester City at a packed Wembley Stadium on May 17.
This strike secured the Eagles' first-ever domestic trophy, as well as confirming their place in the Europa League next season.
Eberechi Oluchi Eze. pic.twitter.com/cIwHgagcQD
— VERSUS (@vsrsus) May 17, 2025
They will also take part in the Community Shield for the inaugural occasion in August of this year, when they face Premier League champions Liverpool.
Eze's individual moment of glory came eight years after he made his brief stint at Wycombe on loan from Queens Park Rangers, where he played 22 times in all competitions, scoring five times.
This included bagging an incredible brace against Cambridge United on October 7, 2027 – his first strikes in professional football.
Speaking on his moment that won Palace their first major trophy, he said: 'No words, man.
'I can only thank God.
'This is special, this is what dreams are made of, for this club as well.
'Who would have thought we could do it?'
'We've made history today.
'The tactics were good, but it's all about spirit.
'That's energy, that's everyone fighting together and doing what we had to do today.'
After his loan spell with Wycombe ended, he returned to Loftus Road and immediately found a place in the team, spending the next two-and-a-half years in the QPR side.
A big-money move to Crystal Palace followed in 2020, and in the last five years, he has become one of the most exciting players in the Premier League, whilst also making his England debut.
His FA Cup victory means he is the first player to leave Wycombe and win the world's oldest football competition.
Eberechi Eze believed to be the first former Wycombe Wanderers player to be on a FA Cup Final winning side. Viv Busby (Fulham 1975) and Roger Johnson (Cardiff 2008) were on the losing side. Congratulations Ebe ✊️#FACup https://t.co/JQOF9GgDgq
— Chairboys on the Net - Paul Lewis (@GasmanCOTN) May 17, 2025
Viv Busby, who started his career at Wanderers, played for Fulham in the 1975 final, where they lost to West Ham United.
Striker Dion Dublin, who had a brief loan spell with the club in 1988 from Cambridge United, featured in Aston Villa's FA Cup final loss against Chelsea in 2000 and in 2008, Roger Johnson, who again began his long-playing career with the Adams Park side, played in the showpiece for Cardiff City, who lost to Portsmouth that year.
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