“And if you’re not enjoying it, then it’s not worth doing, I don’t think. If you’re first and foremost not enjoying it, then it doesn’t matter about data, stats, or ways of playing.
“I’m grateful that I have the type of people around me who have encouraged me to keep enjoying the game.”
You can still see elements of that cage style in his game today. One of the best moments of our league win at Fulham back in February came when Eze decided to bring the game to a complete standstill.
In possession close to the touchline, he became engaged in a standoff with former teammate Joachim Andersen.
With Andersen refusing to dive in and make a tackle, Eze stood totally still, hands on hips – while the former Palace man comically pointed at an imaginary watch on his wrist.
Eventually Palace’s No. 10 played a pass. It was bizarre, but brilliant, lasting over 10 seconds. It was a moment which summed Eze’s style up; always ready to explode into action, but happy for the defender to show their hand first.
“In that moment, I’m not really thinking too much about what I’m going to do next, it’s instinct,” he explains. “I could see that he wasn’t going to dive in, I knew that I would have the time to do that. I was just enjoying the moment.
“Something like that I actually do quite a lot in training! I enjoy it because it’s a way of expressing control as well.
“I know that I can do what I want to do when the football is at my feet, which is powerful.”