‘It will be talked about for a lifetime’ – Daichi Kamada on FA Cup final win for Crystal Palace

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada became the first Japanese player to play in an FA Cup final and, after the Eagles beat Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday at Wembley, the first to win it.

Kamada moved to South London last July to link up again with manager Oliver Glasner. The pair won the 2021-22 Europa League at Eintracht Frankfurt.

But after taking time to adapt to life in the Premier League the Japanese international bore the brunt of criticism for a slow start to the season which saw the Eagles fail to win for the first eight games.

Now Kamada approaches the final two games of the season, against Wolves and Liverpool, with that historic FA Cup triumph and a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after scoring in Japan’s 2-0 qualification win over Bahrain last March to seal their passage.

And after the final whistle on Saturday, Kamada posted on social media a picture of him lifting the FA Cup with a caption in English saying: ‘It was the most difficult season of my career. But?’

Kamada played a vital part in what proved to be the match-winning goal from Ebere Eze in the 16th minute. Defender Chris Richards played the ball up to the halfway line for Jean-Philippe Mateta to hold up.

The France international passed back to Kamada, who slotted the ball back to Mateta, who then threaded it through to onrushing full-back Daniel Munoz, with the Colombian crossing for Eze to slot home.

“It was a difficult game, but I am glad we won,” said Kamada to Japanese media after the game on Saturday. “There is a huge difference between being a champion and a runner-up – this victory was won by everyone on the team. We were like a punchbag – but it’s a cup match so as long as we won, it was fine.”

Kamada played the whole game on Saturday, as he did in the 3-0 semi-final victory over Aston Villa, and has appeared in 32 of the 36 Premier League games this season for the Eagles.

“I don’t even really realise how great it is – I think being the first is memorable for many people. That is very important for my career and I am happy to have achieved that,” said the 28-year-old.

“This is the first big title for the club. It will be talked about for a lifetime and I am very proud to be a part of that first title. When it comes to the cup competitions, it is all about winning. Winning matters in such situations like this.”

“Making history is a wonderful thing for my career. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m really happy.”

With thanks to Fumiaki Fujita for translation.

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD