That is the compressed version of one of the more difficult winters any Premier League striker has endured.
The longer version involves a failed medical, weeks of uncertainty, a dressing room to return to, a club-record replacement to compete with, and a knee problem serious enough to have prompted Milan's medical staff to demand an operation.
"It was not easy," Mateta told The Standard. "There were many phases. I was injured and then there was the thing with Milan."
The 28-year-old had been on the verge of a £30 million switch to AC Milan on the final day of the January transfer window. Crystal Palace had disclosed a pre-existing right knee problem — a 2019 meniscus rupture at Mainz that required surgery — and Milan's doctors concluded that further intervention was necessary before they could approve the deal. The transfer collapsed hours before the deadline.
What followed was a difficult recalibration. Palace had already signed Jørgen Strand Larsen from Wolves as his replacement, and Mateta was now facing the prospect of reintegrating into a squad he had publicly tried to leave. He unfollowed the club on Instagram. The optics were not good.
But a second opinion changed the medical picture. Several specialists examined the knee and concluded that surgery was not required — that the joint could be managed conservatively, with load monitoring and structured rest periods. That assessment proved decisive.
"I was just realistic," Mateta said. "When I knew it was not going to happen with Milan, I knew I needed to come back."
He worked through the late winter and returned to the starting line-up in late March, contributing significantly to Crystal Palace's run to the Conference League final. He scored against Fiorentina in the quarter-final and followed up with a brace against Newcastle United.
"It was a lot of work," he said. "I worked with some wonderful people who helped me. You just have to believe in yourself."
The trajectory from that January night in Milan — upset, isolated, his big move gone — to Leipzig on Wednesday, where Crystal Palace face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final, and then to the United States, Canada and Mexico for the World Cup, is remarkable.
France coach Didier Deschamps included Mateta in the 26-man squad announced last week. The Paris-born forward — who scored five goals at the 2024 Paris Olympics — finishes the domestic season with 12 Premier League goals in 32 appearances.
He leaves England this summer, regardless of what happens in Leipzig. His Palace contract expires next year and a serious bid will be easier to process without the knee question hanging over the deal.
What happened in January did not finish him. It just made the path longer.