German Football League: French winger Michael Olise, who is on vacation after being crowned the 2024/25 Bundesliga Champions, reunited with his former Crystal Palace teammates to give a proper farewell to former teammate and captain Joel Ward, who will depart Selhurst Park this summer after 13 years with the club, upon the expiration of his current contract.
The 35-year-old has been a near-ever-present throughout the London side's longest top-flight spell to date, playing a key role in many of the most important moments in modern Crystal Palace history. He played his last home game on Tuesday night in a thrilling 4-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ward initially joined the club from Portsmouth at the beginning of the 2012/13 season in the Championship, playing a significant role in the club’s promotion to the Premier League and has overall played 364 matches for the Eagles – a total which places him eighth in Palace's list of all-time appearances , while scoring six times for the club.
