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When Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish first met Oliver Glasner in late 2023, he had no idea it would be a meeting that would change the course of the club's history.
It was then sporting director, Dougie Freedman, who had set up the get-together in south London. Freedman had tracked Glasner's career trajectory in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt and was impressed with what he saw.
Roy Hodgson was in charge at Selhurst Park at the time, but there was pressure on the club to make a change.
Parish would have usually preferred to appoint a manager with some Premier League history, but there was something about Glasner that impressed the businessman.
Wind forward two-and-a-half years, and Glasner has just led Crystal Palace to Conference League glory with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
It will be his final game in charge - but it comes at the end of a scarcely-believable 12-month period of unprecedented success.
"He has got to be one of the best managers Crystal Palace has ever had," said Palace midfielder Adam Wharton. "He has made a massive difference to how the club looks at competitions.
"We are not just looking to stay in the Premier League and be in Europe, we are looking to win and be as high as possible."
When Glasner bid farewell to Selhurst Park on Sunday, following the final Premier League game of the season, the Austrian made sure he had time to poke fun at his past disagreements with Parish.
"Now I'm leaving, I don't have to agree with the chairman," he said with a smile. "He said the best day was the FA Cup final, but I don't agree. The best day is still to come in Leipzig."
It was a light-hearted exchange that underlined Palace's confidence as they prepared for a first European final - a far cry from where they found themselves at the start of the year.
The Conference League final victory - which guarantees Palace a spot in next season's Europa League - is the final chapter of Glasner's career with the Eagles.
"Right now, I can't even believe it is the last game," said Glasner post-match. "It is a good chapter to read in the Crystal Palace book, but other good chapters will follow.
"I said to the players after the FA Cup [win], go and get what you deserve - the Europa League."
Crystal Palace supporters have never had it so good.
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