Very soon.
Two days later.
The entire Crystal Palace squad learned who they'd be facing in the next round of the FA Cup.
The draw result: Manchester City!
When this news broke…
Crystal Palace fans were stunned.
An ominous feeling swept over them.
Fourth round already, and they drew a Premier League team?!
Even at the fourth round of the FA Cup, there were still plenty of Championship and League One teams in the draw.
But fate clearly had other ideas.
The Crystal Palace fanbase erupted in despair.
That's the Premier League!
And it's Manchester City!!
Was this the end of Crystal Palace's FA Cup journey?
What terrible luck!
Ever since the Abu Dhabi group took over in 2008, City officially entered the "oil money" era.
This season's Man City boasted a stacked midfield:
Patrick Vieira, the ironclad French defensive midfielder.
David Silva, who joined just last summer.
And Yaya Touré, who also arrived in the same transfer window!
Yaya was a heavyweight name — widely regarded as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world.
City paid nearly £30 million to bring him in from Barcelona!
And then, there was another "star":
Mario Balotelli!
Before Kai exploded onto the scene, Balotelli was the frontrunner for this season's Golden Boy Award.
After the draw was announced, Balotelli's agent, Raiola, immediately spoke to the media:
> "This is fate!
The FA Cup will witness a showdown between two Golden Boys.
Whether it's Mario or Kai—only the one who advances to the next round deserves this year's European Golden Boy title!"
This statement blew up English football.
Raiola's words completely threw Crystal Palace and Kai into the spotlight!
Man City clearly had full confidence in knocking Palace out of the FA Cup.
That's why they let Raiola go public—to fast-track the Golden Boy battle!
Everyone knew:
Crystal Palace was simply too weak compared to Man City.
No matter how many consecutive wins they'd racked up—it was still just in the Championship.
The gap between the Championship and Premier League was a massive chasm.
This so-called Golden Boy battle,
And Crystal Palace's FA Cup run…
Seemed destined to end here.
But Jorge Mendes wasn't one to back down. When it came to off-the-pitch tactics, he was the godfather of all agents.
He quickly steered the media narrative to shift things in Kai's favor.
Then Mendes called Kai directly and explained the current situation.
> "This is bad.
The Golden Boy voting happens right between the 4th and 5th rounds of the FA Cup.
If you hadn't drawn Man City, we'd be fine.
But now, all of Europe is watching.
Your only shot at winning the award…
Is beating Man City!"
Even Mendes was helpless now.
Beating City? That was basically a fantasy.
Luck clearly wasn't on their side.
At this point, Mendes could only pray for a miracle from Kai.
But what a tall order that was!
At the same time…
Tens of thousands of South London fans were also pinning their hopes on their prodigy!
Everyone knew the gap between Man City and Palace.
City, a money-fueled giant, looked like an insurmountable mountain in front of Palace.
It was the natural disadvantage of a Championship side facing a Premier League behemoth.
Palace fans were heartbroken for their golden boy.
They felt it was cruel to decide the Golden Boy Award based on just one match!
South London was in turmoil.
It was the quietest day in the past two months for Palace supporters.
Everyone was waiting for their Eagle King to speak up.
Kai's attitude had become the beacon that thousands of fans looked toward!
> "There's no shame in losing to Man City. We're a Championship team after all.
As long as we don't get destroyed, it's acceptable."
"Maybe we should just give up on the cup and focus on the league."
"We might lose this year's Golden Boy, but next year's Golden Boy will definitely be our Eagle King!"
"Let's stop arguing. Until our captain says something, we should wait!"
Chaos engulfed the fanbase.
Even fans in China were getting anxious.
> "Kai, say something! Whether you push forward or retreat—we'll back you no matter what.
Just say the word, and it'll calm the hearts of tens of thousands of Palace fans!"
Everyone was waiting.
Luckily—
Their wait was not in vain.
That night.
Crystal Palace's official website released a 10-minute-long video.
Fans poured in by the thousands.
The site crashed from traffic!
In the video—inside the Palace meeting room—
Kai stood before the entire squad, delivering a pre-match speech!
The more fans watched, the more fired up they became.
What was this? Facing Man City, they weren't backing down at all!
The players didn't look defeated or discouraged!
On the contrary—they were filled with defiance!
After Kai's passionate speech, he had each teammate stand up and shout their own battle cry.
The entire team was brimming with spirit—voices echoing powerfully!
Fire blazed in every player's eyes!
Not one of them showed fear or hesitation.
Every single one wanted to defy the odds and crush Man City!
Some players were even so fired up, they jumped on the tables and raised their fists in the air!
This was a deliberate signal—to tell the fans:
> We're not afraid.
We're not surrendering.
They would charge forward like warriors, heads held high, ready to face the challenge!
At the end of the video—
Kai faced the camera, and raised a clenched fist to the fans of Crystal Palace!
The 16-year-old club captain, with his handsome face and commanding presence, radiated unshakable confidence that could inspire anyone!
And then, the words fans had been waiting for:
> "Don't worry."
"In the match a few days from now…"
"I will lead the team and beat Manchester City!!"
In that moment—
All of London erupted!
That image—Kai punching the air with fire in his eyes—became the guiding light for tens of thousands of die-hard fans!
They couldn't contain their emotions anymore!
All the fear, all the doubt—vanished like smoke!
Their Eagle King had spoken.
And once again, they stood united, burning with passionate determination!
Every gaze turned to the upcoming FA Cup fourth-round clash with renewed hope!