Cole Palmer

 Cole Jermaine Palmer (born 6 May 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Chelsea and the England  national team. He is regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

An academy graduate of Manchester City, Palmer made his senior debut for the club in 2020, and was later part of their squad that won a continental treble of the Premier League,  FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in 2023. He signed for Chelsea that year for a fee of £40 million and enjoyed a breakout debut season, earning multiple honours—  including the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. In 2025, Palmer helped Chelsea win both the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World   Cup, being named man of the match in both finals and receiving the Golden Ball in the latter.

Palmer has represented England across various youth levels, including winning the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, before making his senior debut in the same year. He represented his country at UEFA Euro 2024, scoring the equalising goal in the final.

Palmer attended Gatley Primary School in Stockport, and was later privately educated at St Bede’s College in partnership with the Manchester City Academy.

On 1 September, Palmer signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a seven-year contract, with the option of a further year. The transfer fee was reported to be an initial £40  million, potentially rising by £2.5 million in add-ons.  He made his debut the following day as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 1–0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. On 7 October, Palmer scored his first goal for Chelsea, from a penalty kick, while also providing the assist for Nicolas Jackson’s goal in a 4–1 away victory over Burnley. On 6 November, Palmer registered a goal and an assist in a 4–1 away win at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Six days later, Palmer scored a stoppage-time penalty against former club Manchester City, as the two teams played out a 4–4 draw at Stamford Bridge.

In Chelsea’s final match of 2023, away to Luton Town, Palmer scored twice for the first time professionally, while also assisting Noni Madueke’s goal, as Chelsea won 3–2. As a result of his performances during December, which included four goals and two assists, Palmer was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award, and his second goal against Luton Town was nominated for Premier League Goal of the Month. On 23 January 2024, Palmer scored another brace, this time in the EFL Cup semi-finals, as Chelsea defeated Middlesbrough 6–1 (6–2 on aggregate) to advance to the final at Wembley Stadium. He scored his tenth league goal of the season on 4 February in a 4–2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, making him the first Chelsea player aged 21 or under to score 10 Premier League goals in a season.  On 29 February, he was named the Men’s Young Player of the Year at the 2024 London Football Awards. By assisting Axel Disasi’s goal against Brentford on 2 March, Palmer became the Chelsea player with the most goal contributions in a season aged 21 or younger, overtaking Arjen Robben’s tally of 16 contributions in 2004–05.

On 4 April, Palmer was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award a second time after more impressive displays throughout March that saw him score three goals and provide two assists. Later that day, he scored his first career hat-trick, which included two goals scored deep into added time to complete Chelsea’s comeback in a 4–3 home victory against Manchester United. By doing so, Palmer became the 200th different player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick, as well as the third youngest to do so in a match against Manchester United. Palmer’s performance in this match enabled him to become the third ever recipient of the Premier League Game Changer of the Season award. On 15 April, Palmer scored his second career hat-trick against Everton in a 6–0 home win, finishing the match with four goals, and thus became the 31st Premier League player to score four or more goals in a league game, and the first Chelsea player to score two Premier League hat-tricks for the club in a season. He set a record for the fastest perfect hat-trick to be scored in the Premier League, completing it within 29 minutes. Furthermore, he became the third player in the club’s history to score at least 20 goals in his debut season, following Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 2000–01 and Diego Costa in 2014–15.

On 5 May, Palmer scored during a 5–0 home victory against West Ham United, becoming only the third player in Premier League history aged 21 or younger to contribute to 30 or more goals in a single season. Palmer was then named Chelsea Players’ Player of the Season as well as Chelsea Player of the Season, voted for by supporters, as well as being awarded the Premier League Player of the Month award for April 2024 and the Premier League Goal of the Month award for his first goal against Everton, becoming the first player in Chelsea history and the fifth player overall to win the Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards in the same month. On 11 May, Palmer made his 50th overall Premier League appearance, marking the occasion with an assist in a 3–2 away win at Nottingham Forest. By doing so, Palmer became the 13th player in Premier League history to score 20 or more goals and provide 10 or more assists in the same season.

Palmer finished the season with a total of 27 goals and 15 assists across all competitions; he had the most goal involvements (33: 22 goals, 11 assists) of any other player in the 2023–24 Premier League season. He won the Premier League Young Player of the Season and PFA Fans’ Player of the Year awards for his outstanding first season at Chelsea while also being nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards.  His Goal of the Month winning strike against Everton in April was nominated for Premier League Goal of the Season.

Before the start of his second season, Palmer signed a new, nine-year contract with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until at least June 2033. On 20 August, Palmer was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Five days later, he scored his first goal of the campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium. This goal would go on to win the Premier League Goal of the Month award for August 2024, making Palmer the first player in Premier League history to win the award twice in a row across two seasons. In the second half of the same match, Palmer assisted all three of Noni Madueke’s goals, helping Chelsea defeat Wolves 6–2, with this performance being the catalyst of his nomination for August 2024’s Premier League Player of the Month award.

In a 4–2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion on 28 September, Palmer scored four goals in the first half, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in the Premier League. On 11 October, Palmer was awarded Premier League Player of the Month for September, for his five goals and one assist during the month contributing to Chelsea’s unbeaten record in September.

On 1 December, Palmer scored his 30th goal in the Premier League against Aston Villa in a 3–0 home victory, making him the second-fastest Chelsea player to score 30 league goals, with only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink achieving this feat in fewer matches. The following week, he scored two penalties in a thrilling 4–3 victory over Tottenham, the second of which was a panenka. With twelve penalties scored out of twelve penalties taken, Palmer’s goals in this match earned him the outright Premier League record for the most penalties scored without a single miss, surpassing Yaya Touré’s previous record of eleven.  Throughout 2024, Palmer also broke the record for the Chelsea player with the most goal contributions in a calendar year in the Premier League, exceeding Hasselbaink’s 36 goals and assists in 2001.

On 28 May 2025, Palmer was named man of the match after providing two assists in the 2025 UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis, helping Chelsea become the first team to win all four major European competitions. On 20 June, it was announced that Palmer was one of six nominees for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year. Later that year, on 13 July, he scored twice and provided an assist in a 3–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, where he was named player of the match. He finished the tournament with three goals and two assists, earning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

Palmer is of Afro-Kittitian descent on his father’s side of the family. His grandfather, Sterry (born 1953), emigrated in 1960 aged six, while his great-grandparents were part of the Windrush generation, migrating five years earlier.  Palmer emblazoned his boots with the flag of England and the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

A playmaker, Palmer predominantly plays as an attacking midfielder in the number ten role, although he is also capable of playing as a winger on either flank. He is known for his record and mentality at penalties, passing, and dribbling, while also creating and scoring goals. He also often attempts long range shots and cuts inside the opposition line. While predominantly left-footed, he is also capable with his right foot. He has been frequently described by media sources as among the best attacking midfielders in world football.

Citing Wayne Rooney as inspiration, Palmer says he enjoys “street football style, playing freely and creatively”. Palmer has also been praised in the media for his ability to perform in big games and tournament finals, being described as a “big game player”; Palmer has himself said that he enjoys playing in finals.

Former Bristol City and Sunderland manager Lee Johnson described Palmer as a “matador showing his shoulder” and praised his technical ability. Palmer’s calmness on the pitch, especially when taking penalties was also lauded, earning him the nickname “Cold Palmer”. He responded to this by celebrating goals with his arms crossed with hands rubbing his shoulders, a move he has attributed to his former Manchester City teammate Morgan Rogers.

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