Former midfielder-turned-pundit Emmanuel Petit has suggested that there are only three players who could prevent Cole Palmer from winning a Ballon d’Or in the future, with the Englishman going from strength to strength in west London.
Ever since he made the leap from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to Chelsea in September 2023, there are very few players in the Premier League that have been as free scoring as the 22-year-old, who has plundered 36 goals and 21 assists since the move.
Palmer, a one-time Champions League winner, has impressed the likes of Petit, who plied his trade for the Blues and Real Madrid throughout a 523-game career. Per The Metro, the 63-cap France international, who regretted his decision to leave Arsenal for a woman, said:
“You can see that every time he gets the ball, all his teammates want to play with him, the movement around him. You can see the opponents as well, every time Cole Palmer gets the ball, you can feel the opponent is stressed.”
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Since joining Chelsea in September 2023, Cole Palmer has scored 36 goals and registered 21 assists in all competitions.
Likening him to the talismanic duo of Rivaldo and Zinedine Zidane, who had the ability to be game changers, Dieppe-born Petit insisted that Chelsea’s roster are blessed to play alongside the Manchester City graduate, who is widely regarded as one of world football’s best penalty takers.
“I’ve met different players, top players with the same abilities and personality on the pitch. For example, I played with Rivaldo at Barcelona, and Zidane in the national team. Every time we used to give them the ball, it changed something on the pitch.
“It brings more confidence from the teammates because you want to play with those kinds of players, you want to bring movement around them and you want to be part of it with them.”
He then went on to name Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid duo Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe as the triumvirate of players whom he believes are the England international’s biggest rival in terms of getting his hands on the most prestigious individual award in world football.
“Lamine] Yamal at Barcelona, Vinicius or maybe [Kylian] Mbappe, if he comes back. He [Palmer] has to show his abilities every single weekend. This is what he’s doing right now. He’s been playing like that now for 16 months already.
“If he wants to reach his dream, he has to do that on the highest level,” he continued. “Which means the Champions League and as well with the national team.”
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