67: Back-to-Back Wins Against Giants
White Hart Lane had completely turned into a Crystal Palace festival ground!
The scoreboard lit up with a stunning 3–0!
Tottenham's home crowd sat in stunned silence.
North London's "White Lily" failed to bloom tonight.
Spurs were cut down by Championship side Crystal Palace—
Eliminated from the Fifth Round of the FA Cup!
"WHOA! BEEP! BEEP—!"
As the final whistle blew, a massive cheer erupted across the pitch!
"Kai!!"
"Kai!!"
"The Eagle King of Crystal Palace!!"
Crystal Palace fans burst into wild celebration!
It was unbelievable!
Following their 3–1 win over Manchester City, they had now blanked Spurs 3–0!
Two Premier League giants—back-to-back takedowns!
The public perception of Crystal Palace changed overnight!
If the last match against City could still be chalked up to Kai's moment of brilliance and a stroke of luck...
Then what about this match?
Two straight wins over EPL elites!
Nobody could call it luck anymore.
Last season, Crystal Palace had battled relegation.
But this year, everything had changed.
Since Kai joined the team—
Crystal Palace had gone on an 18-match winning streak in the Championship, and now charged into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Beating two Premier League powerhouses!
They were officially in the knockout stage of this year's FA Cup.
Next up? The Quarterfinals!
Crystal Palace supporters went mad with joy!
No one had imagined they'd come this far!
At the beginning of the season—before Kai arrived—all they wanted was to survive in the Championship.
But now?
With their young captain leading the way—
Crystal Palace fans dared to dream bigger.
Just three more rounds to lift the FA Cup trophy...
It was insane!
A dream so sweet, you'd wake up laughing.
Post-match.
In the press conference, Holloway once again showered Kai with praise.
The Crystal Palace manager was now used to the spotlight.
He often felt frustrated, claiming his vocabulary wasn't enough to express Kai's greatness.
"You've reached the FA Cup quarterfinals after beating Spurs. Is your goal this season to win the championship?"
Holloway chuckled heartily at the media's question:
"Kai's will is the will of Crystal Palace! He's our undisputed captain—every move we make is in step with his."
"He said from the start our goal is the championship—so why shouldn't we believe him?"
Meanwhile, on Tottenham's side—
Coach Villas-Boas appeared a bit downcast.
But when asked about Kai, his eyes lit up:
"I've spoken with our upper management. We'll do everything possible to sign this super talent in the summer window. And I'll personally recommend him to the Portugal national team."
"He's only 16! Before turning 18, he's eligible to choose his nationality. Even if Spurs can't sign him, I still hope to see him represent the Seleção das Quinas in the future."
"Lead Portugal in chasing our century-long dream of winning the World Cup!"
The London media exploded!
Villas-Boas had dropped major bombshells!
It was 2011. The European Championship was just around the corner.
Qualifiers were already underway.
And in two years—it would be the World Cup!
The national team choices of Kai were becoming the talk of the country.
Which nation would he soar with?
Every football federation had been put on notice.
This stunning prodigy wouldn't just shine in club football—
He could very well dominate the global stage!
⚽ Headlines flooding the press:"Two EPL Giants Down! Crystal Palace Storms Into FA Cup Knockouts!"
"A Tactical Revolution! Kai Becomes the Youngest 'Giant Slayer' in History!"
"Flawless in Attack and Defense! German Media: 'Only Beckenbauer used to play like this!'"
"No Time to Mourn City and Spurs—Who's Next to Fall?"
London's football scene had gone mad!
Tonight, every major outlet was plastered with Kai's name.
And at the same time—
Executives of elite clubs had tuned in to watch Crystal Palace vs. Spurs.
Now that Chelsea's Abramovich had shown interest—
All the other giants felt the heat!
Who was Abramovich?
The first tycoon to kickstart the Premier League's money era in the 21st century!
Earlier than even the Emirati investment behind Manchester City.
Manchester United joined the chase.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson couldn't sit still.
Arsène Wenger, over in North London, also grew restless!
Kai had just eliminated City and Spurs with a Championship side—
Who could ignore that?
Wenger couldn't help but imagine:
If Kai could crush Spurs with Palace...
What if he joined Arsenal next season at the Emirates...?
The North London Derby would be a massacre!
More importantly—Arsenal needed the Champions League.
Even with Thierry Henry, they never won it.
Wenger wanted one final shot at glory.
Last season, he had his eye on Real Madrid's Mesut Özil.
Özil had done well in La Liga.
But after seeing Kai play...
Wenger lost interest in every other midfielder.
Wenger wasn't a dreamer. He was a realist.
He picked up the phone and called Arsenal's largest shareholder, Stan Kroenke.
Arsenal's biggest problem? Stadium loans were draining the club's finances.
The board refused to spend.
The Gunners had been pinching pennies for years—
Wenger had to budget every transfer window.
Loved players he couldn't afford, even had to sell captains when cash ran low.
His heart ached!
But this time—
Kroenke was interested.
Although not Arsenal's sole owner, he held the most shares—and had plenty of money.
He wasn't a fool, though.
He wanted full control, but only if Arsenal showed signs of real future potential.
From across the ocean, Kroenke had also heard about Kai.
A yellow-skinned face—
A young Asian tearing through English football, already the youngest Golden Boy Award winner in history!
A marketing goldmine and a future megastar!
Kroenke began to brainstorm—
A prodigy shaking the English football world, plus an Asian identity?
He needed to speak with Kai's agent.
At the same time—
Other Premier League giants were already moving in secret.
United. Chelsea. City. Spurs.
Even those who had been eliminated by Kai—
Were now among the fiercest in pursuit.
~~----------------------
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