That’s according to Eagles boss Roy Hodgson who welcomes Zaha back into his squad for Palace’s Premier League clash with Huddersfield this weekend.
Former Manchester United man Zaha injured his knee last month but returned to action last week against Chelsea.
Palace are yet to win a point in this season’s Premier League when Zaha hasn’t been on the pitch.
And ex-England boss Hodgson believes the Ivorian can have the same impact as Lionel Messi.
“It’s good to have him back, and we’re hoping he’ll start where he left off,” Hodgson said.
“He got injured six weeks ago now and he was playing very well, we hope he’s going to hit the ground running and do the same for us again.
“He has the exceptional ability to run with the ball and beat people. Those type of players are very important as we saw in the Chelsea-Barcelona game and Lionel Messi. If Messi hadn’t played it could have been a totally different result.
“We don’t get as many points when he’s not playing, and don’t score as many goals.
“Obviously we miss him in that respect, so it will be very good to get him back on the field.”
Crystal Palace are a point off Premier League safety with just eight games remaining.
They have tasted victory just six times this season with Zaha finding the net four times.