Chelsea star Cole Palmer has expressed his excitement at donning the iconic No. 10 shirt, a dream come true for the youngster who grew up admiring football legends Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, and Eden Hazard. Palmer, who has been sporting the No. 20 since joining the Blues, is yet to discuss the squad number with former owner Mykhaylo Mudryk, as the Ukrainian faces a potential four-year suspension following a doping violation.
Despite the situation with Mudryk, Palmer couldn't contain his joy at becoming the main man. "I wore no. 10 all my life growing up, and I just like the number, so yes," Palmer beamed. "It's just an iconic number." He fondly recalled his idols, adding: "Messi, the big one, Rooney and players like that. I have seen Eden Hazard a few times at the training ground. He asked me for one of his shirts from his sons, so yes. To see him was nice, we had a conversation, so yes."
At the beginning of the month, Chelsea announced that Palmer would be taking the number from Mudryk, and the talisman will soon speak with his team-mate about his charge.
Regarding Mudryk, Palmer added: "I have not spoken to Misha yet but I will when the time is right. It is not really my place to get involved with him at the minute. I will speak to him."
At 23, the England international is already a familiar face, featured prominently on Club World Cup posters as Chelsea gear up for their clash against Flamengo at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Friday.
Palmer's swift ascent in the past two years has seen him become one of the Premier League's most talked-about talents.
"It has been quick in terms of how fast it has happened but it is a nice feeling and if I keep performing and keep doing stuff hopefully it will get better and bigger," Palmer continued.
"I am just a normal kid so when people do stuff like that I think... 'why me?' Obviously in restaurants I get recognised. At the start, it was a bit wow, but now I get used to it."
Discussing his anonymity in the US, Palmer noted: "I have not even walked around Philly yet. No, I feel like America is different, they don't really watch football so it is a bit different."
Palmer candidly admitted that his impactful performance in the Europa Conference League final, where he provided two crucial assists for Chelsea against Real Betis, was spurred by boredom with playing it safe.
However, he clarified that his comments were not a swipe at manager Enzo Maresca, explaining: "We had a joke about it. My comments weren't towards the manager or anything. I felt like in the game, I was maybe being a bit safe. So that's where the comment came from.
"I feel like I've wanted to play in big occasions from a young age, even in the finals we played when I was younger. I always seem to do something in big games, and since I've come into the first team, it's just continued."