The former Southampton and Crystal Palace player is most known for his embarrassing incident involving the restroom during a Premier League game.
Eight months after declaring his retirement from competitive play, Crystal Palace icon and Premier League cult figure Jason Puncheon has drawn attention with his appointment as manager of struggling Cypriot team AEZ Zakakiou.
The 37-year-old will try to keep the squad in the Cyrpus First Division, where they are now three points above the bottom of the standings in 12th position out of 14 teams. With 23 games played this season, AEZ Zakakiou has given up 54 goals, making them the division’s most vulnerable defense.
Puncheon, who played 169 games with the Eagles from 2013 to 2019, was in charge of Peyia in the second division before resigning from his position early this year. Despite the fact th
at many fans may have forgotten about the midfielder, he is still making a living in the nation. Prior to retiring last summer, he played football for Anorthosis Famagusta.
Puncheon started his playing career at MK Dons, but his best seasons were at Southampton and Crystal Palace, where he established himself as a mainstay in the Premier League. While residing in the UK, he scored 23 goals in the top division and was a member of the Crystal Palace team that placed second in the FA Cup in 2016.
Of course, the midfielder is well-known for leaving the field in the middle of a Southampton game to tend to a medical emergency and then coming back to play a few minutes later in early 2013. The incident has sparked some famous chants from the crowd, and weeks later Puncheon made reference to the bit of Premier League history when he appeared to wipe his behind after scoring against Manchester City.
Puncheon sent a heartfelt statement to the team upon departing Crystal Palace in 2019 and stated, “I want to say thank you to the fans.” I would want to express my gratitude to Steve Parish for bringing me here following my loan. All of my managers deserve my gratitude. In particular, Roy [Hodgson] has been fantastic for me in this last section, so I would like to thank him. Danny Young, the kitman, is a good man, as I mentioned earlier.
“But without the supporters, everyone in the vicinity of the football team… I’ll always hold a particular place in my heart for this club. Thank you to all of you. I hope for the best future for the football team.”
