Cole Palmer is Enzo Maresca’s go-to guy when in need of some magic and the English star’s emergence as one of the best players in the Premier League since swapping Manchester City for Chelsea – and the 23-year-old has now named who he believes is the ‘best footballer on the world’.
Not many people could foresee the impact Palmer, born and bred in Manchester, would have upon his arrival in west London – but, in his maiden season at the club, he plundered 27 strikes and an additional 15 assists in 48 outings across all competitions.
In spite of the fact that Palmer has been a tad off the boil this campaign, there have been a plethora of top stars that have elevated their games – Mohamed Salah and Raphinha spring to mind, but Palmer snubbed them both when naming the crème de la crème of footballers at this current moment.
'When you watch him, he's mad'
Palmer – widely regarded as one of the best penalty takers in world football right now – recently sat down with Sky Sports, and he was asked whether he had tuned in to watch much of the Champions League action that has been on display this season.
And, when he said yes, the inevitable follow-up question was whether he watched the two-legged thriller between Barcelona and Inter Milan. None other than Lamine Yamal was brought up in conversation and Palmer couldn’t help but wax poetic about him.
“It’s mad, isn’t it? I think he’s the best player in the world, to be honest. I feel like everything they [Barcelona] do just goes through him, and just when you watch him, [he’s] mad.”
When asked how difficult it is to dazzle and dance through four or five of Inter Milan’s seasoned defenders – at 17 years of age – the attacking midfielder, in textbook Palmer fashion, kept it real by saying: “I don’t know… I never tried it.”
On the teenage sensation’s maturity at such a young age, Palmer suggested that his no-fear approach to attacking makes him such fun to watch: “You can tell the way he plays that he’s confident, and he’s got no fear, and I love watching him.”
A special breed of footballer, Yamal is rocking up to important games and making them his own as, despite Barcelona being knocked out of Europe’s top table by the Nerazzurri recently, the La Masia graduate shone.
In 2024/25 alone, he’s notched 42 goal contributions (17 goals and 25 assists) thus far – and that’s impressive given that his best work is tangible: dusting past defenders and making well-informed decisions in the final third.
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As things stand, Palmer is yet to lock horns with the generational 17-year-old – but should Pontecagnano Faiano-born Maresca and his entourage secure top four credentials between now and the end of the term, there is every chance that Chelsea will face the champions of Spain.