After Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the Conference League final, a Crickex Affiliate match night ended with the club lifting its first European trophy in 121 years. For such a historic moment, one man deserves special credit: Austrian manager Oliver Glasner. Under his leadership, Palace have built something close to a trophy era, and without his coaching, the club would not be standing where it is today.
Glasner became Crystal Palace manager in February 2024, when the club were trapped in mediocrity and had gone more than a century without a major trophy. Palace were neither in serious danger nor truly ambitious, a team stuck in the middle with little to show for its history. After taking over, Glasner rebuilt them through practical tactics and iron discipline. He created a solid defensive structure, sharpened their counterattacking play, and shaped a clear football idea: create every possible chance, seize every possible chance, and put the ball into the opponent’s net.
That coaching philosophy became clear in his first full season. In the 2024 25 FA Cup final, Eberechi Eze scored a brilliant counterattacking goal, and that strike gave Crystal Palace a 1-0 win over Manchester City and the first major trophy in club history. In the Community Shield against Liverpool, Palace fell behind twice and fought back twice before winning on penalties. Then, in the 2025 26 season, they added the Conference League crown. Three trophies in two seasons completely rewrote the story of the club, turning a side once seen as ordinary into a team with real silverware and belief.
Before arriving at Crystal Palace, Glasner had already proved himself at Eintracht Frankfurt by leading the German club to the Europa League title. Now he has become a manager who has won both the Europa League and the Conference League, an achievement few coaches in European football can claim. His record shows that he has a gift for turning plain materials into something special. With limited resources, he builds tough, disciplined teams that punch above their weight. Now that his work at Palace has reached such a peak, the big question is which major club may come calling next.
Glasner’s ability to turn smaller clubs into champions is closely linked to his own playing career. As a footballer, he spent his time only in Austria’s first and second divisions, playing for clubs such as Ried rather than any major European power. He never had the glamour of the top five leagues. That background helped him understand how smaller clubs survive, compete, and grow. It also explains why he succeeded at Frankfurt and then at Crystal Palace. He knows the value of structure, unity, and hard work better than most.
His playing career was successful in its own way, but it also ended with a painful chapter that he could never fully forget. Around the age of 37, Glasner suffered a serious head collision during a match, which led to bleeding in the brain and required surgery. The operation was successful, but he had no choice but to retire. From there, he moved into club management, then became an assistant coach, slowly building the foundation for a new life in football.
In 2014, Glasner became head coach of Ried. One year later, he took charge of LASK, and in 2019 he moved to Wolfsburg. In 2021, he became Eintracht Frankfurt manager, where he earned wider recognition with European success. By 2024, he had arrived at Crystal Palace, and in only two seasons he turned the club’s long wait into a golden run. For Palace fans, the transformation feels like a dream come true, but it was built on discipline rather than luck.
As Crystal Palace celebrate a 121 year breakthrough, the Crickex Affiliate football calendar now carries the image of Glasner as the manager who changed the club’s destiny. His journey from modest Austrian football to European trophy success is not a fairy tale without struggle, but a story of patience, pain, and tactical conviction. Palace were once a team that simply survived in the Premier League, yet under Glasner they have learned how to win when it matters. That is why many now see him not only as a successful coach, but as the godfather of modern Crystal Palace.