After waiting for the championship for 120 years, our greatest achievement is not to win the trophy but to remember the moment

"Our greatest achievement is not to win the trophy, but to create unforgettable moments for thousands of supporters. Maybe they are facing difficulties in life, but we can make them forget their worries and let them indulge in the carnival. This is the greatest value that athletes can create."

Last weekend, when Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final and finally won the first important championship trophy in 120 years since the club was founded, the heartfelt words of the team coach Oliver Glasner were enough to make fans Nathan and Dominic, who were already crying with joy, even more unable to extricate themselves. Because this is not only a championship trophy that all Crystal Palace fans have been waiting for for 120 years, but also represents the club's most sincere respect for all the fans who have passed away. Before the game, like all the 30,000 Crystal Palace fans who poured into Wembley, Nathan and Dominic were filled with excitement and tension, but after entering the court, the shock completely crushed all the feelings. In a stand occupied by Crystal Palace fans, they saw a TIFO painting the appearance of themselves and their father.

"When we saw it, we cried. We never thought that there would be such a moment. All the memories of watching football with our father when we were young have come to our hearts."

That happened in December 2011, when Crystal Palace defeated Manchester United 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. At that time, Nathan and Dominic were still taken to the stadium by their father Mark, and the broadcast footage captured the scene of the father and son celebrating excitedly. This scene not only became an eternal and beautiful memory for the three, but also a collective memory for all Crystal Palace fans.

But unfortunately, after Crystal Palace entered the FA Cup final this season, Mark was gone in the stands. The father died of illness in 2017. However, Crystal Palace fans used this touching TIFO to make up for Mark's regret, and they crowdfunded a full £45,000 for this.

At the team's most glorious moment, every fan is a witness.

If you are not a Crystal Palace fan, you may not understand the meaning of this championship to them, but take a look at the wonderful description from Miguel Delaney, chief reporter of the Independent: "It was two hours after the Wembley final whistle, when the Crystal Palace players began to walk out of the locker room, the staff were still carrying boxes of beer in. The hero Eze strode out with a bright smile; Will Hughes, who was a few yards away, held the Copaburg fruit wine and shouted the name of the goal hero; Joel Ward, who was about to bid farewell to the team, was holding the authenticity of the FA Cup; Chairman Steve Parish hugged his young son and told the children about the meaning of the trophy to everyone."

" And some Crystal Palace players can finally do it now. Frankly, when the fourth official held up the 10-minute stoppage card, they were filled with fear, fearing that the team would miss the championship in a closer and cruel way than 1990 and 2016. But all this did not happen. Glasner's disciples always maintained a steely will and did not give their opponents any opportunity to take advantage of. The suppressed emotions for many years were finally released, and the scene of countless Crystal Palace fans crying in the stands was moving. From the subway at Wembley Park Station, someone talked about the cold rain battle on the Boxing Day 0-0, as well as the rain falling from the Holmsdale stands and the mud on the ground... "

This extraordinary championship trophy made everyone closely related to Crystal Palace inevitably fall into their own memories. And Glasner, who created all this, and his disciples, will undoubtedly be permanently recorded in the history of the Crystal Palace. Although it competes in the most popular leagues in the world, Crystal Palace in south London is not so eye-catching among the many Premier League clubs. It is rooted more in the local community, which further reflects the value of this championship trophy.

In Delaney's view, when he talks with people in the English football world about Crystal Palace, people all have respect. But on the other hand, no one mentioned that this team has any unique secrets, because there is neither a Brighton-style data model library nor oil injection from the Middle East. Crystal Palace is actually running more in a slightly old-school but intelligent way, and finally creating such an excellent modern teacher as it is.

The key figure who changed the team's destiny is head coach Glasner from Austria.

Although he had never had a national team history during his time, Glasner was by no means an unknown person. As a central defender, he and Reed won the Austrian Cup twice, made more than 500 appearances, and were named the best player of the century in the team history. After hanging up the boots, Glasner transformed into management with his master's degree in business administration as a player. He initially started as an administrative assistant at Red Bull Salzburg, and was promoted by Ronnick to become an assistant coach for Schmidt, who later coached at Beijing Guoan, and won two Austrian championships. After Schmidt switched to Leverkusen, Glasner returned to Reed to take charge of the coaching staff. In the midsummer of 2015, Glasner personally staged an unprecedented absurd drama in Austrian football. At the age of 41, he resolutely left his parent team, Reed, who regarded himself as the legend, and turned to his mortal enemy Linz. What is even more puzzling is that Linz had just experienced bankruptcy and reorganization and lost his home court, so he had difficulty upgrading from the third-level league, while Reed was wandering in the Austrian top league.

"This caused a stir at that time," Linz's CEO Gruber admitted, "No one understands why he reduced his value to coach the secondary team. But Oliver knew the true meaning of this revival plan, and he chose to take a step back and broaden the sky. This visionary knowledge is his most extraordinary quality: he can always see the dawn ahead in the fog.

In addition to bringing huge surprises, this Crystal Palace actually faces the inevitable fate of every small team. Winning this FA Cup may accelerate the fall of their main lineup. Eze, Walton, Munos and Mattha are now all rumored to have scandals with giant teams, and Glasner is also a candidate for many teams to change coaches.

However, no matter what appearance Crystal Palace will start next season, it is certain that the far-reaching impact of this championship trophy will always remain in the club's history and the hearts of every fan. In an era when football is gradually monopolized by capital, the championship story of Crystal Palace and the beautiful TIFO will continue to convey the true meaning and power of this sport to everyone who loves football.