Michail Antonio has named who he believes to be the three best players in the world right now.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are waning forces in world football these days, and, thus, the crown to be known as the world’s best player is up for grabs.
Rodri is the incumbent Ballon d’Or holder, while Mohamed Salah has been in Ballon d’Or winning form this year.
On top of that Kylian Mbappe is a world-class talent, while Erling Haaland is a goal machine.
However, speaking to ESPN, Michail Antonio has named the three players who he believes are now the best in the world, and, interestingly, he picked a Chelsea player among his trio.
Cole Palmer looks on during the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and PSG
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Michail Antonio says Cole Palmer is one of the world’s best players
Antonio was asked to pick who he believes are the three best players in the world right now when speaking to ESPN.
Interestingly, Cole Palmer was the first name that came to mind for Antonio, while according to the former West Ham man, Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr are also in the mix.
Palmer has earned massive praise at Chelsea over the past two years, but it is perhaps a bit too soon to put him in this sort of conversation.
Indeed, Palmer has never played regular Champions League football and he’s never been a starter for a title-winning team, while Vinicius Jr and Yamal have won trophies while shining at the highest level.
Cole Palmer compared to Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr
Antonio reckons Palmer is up there with Yamal and Vinicius Jr, and, to be fair, statistically, he does measure up to these players.
Cole Palmer Lamine Yamal Vinicius Jr
Games 37 35 30
Goals 15 9 11
Assists 8 13 8
League stats last season
The key difference here in terms of competing for the Ballon d’Or is the impact and experience in the Champions League.
Technically, Palmer is a Champions League winner, but he barely featured for Manchester City in that treble-winning season, while Vinicius Jr and Yamal have had more big moments on the biggest stages.
Palmer is about to embark on his first Champions League campaign with Chelsea, and, who knows? Perhaps in a few months’ time he will have more of a claim to being the best player on the planet.