Cole Palmer

Club career Manchester City

Despite being a Manchester United fan, at the under-eight level and progressed through the Academy age groups before captaining the under-18s during the 2019–20 season. On 21 September 2021, he scored his first goal in a 6–1 home win over League One team Wycombe Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup. On 16 October, Palmer made an appearance in the Premier League against Burnley, and scored a hat-trick for City's under-23 side that same night. On 19 October, Palmer scored as a substitute in a 5–1 away win over Club Brugge in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, marking his first goal in European football. On 7 January 2022, Palmer scored on his FA Cup debut in a 4–1 away win over League Two team Swindon Town.

2022–23 season

Palmer saw increased involvement during the 2022–23 season, though still frequently featuring as a substitute. However, his 14 Premier League appearances contributed to Manchester City's title-winning campaign, claiming the title. On 18 March 2023, he scored the team's fifth goal in a dominant performance against Burnley during the FA Cup quarter-finals. Palmer also made four appearances during City's Champions League winning run.

On 6 August 2023, Palmer scored the first goal in the 2023 FA Community Shield against Arsenal, after coming on for Erling Haaland as a second-half substitute. However, Arsenal scored in stoppage time and eventually won the match in a penalty shoot-out. Ten days later, Palmer scored the equaliser in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, which Manchester City won 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after the match finished 1–1, in what would be his last appearance for the club.

Chelsea 2023–24: Breakout season and young player of the season 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. 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 2024, 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. 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. He also became the third Chelsea player to score at least 20 goals in his debut Premier League 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, 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.

2024–25: Conference League and Club World Cup titles

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.

However, Palmer then underwent a period of poor form; He failed to score in 11 Premier League matches by 21 April 2025. On 25 April, manager Enzo Maresca stated that Palmer's recent struggles on the pitch were "a mental thing". On 4 May 2025, he ended a goalless period of 18 games and 1,162 minutes with a goal against Liverpool.

Palmer receiving the Golden Ball for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup from U.S. president Donald Trump

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. Palmer was given the shirt number 10 before the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, signifying his importance to the club. 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.

2025–26: Injury and form struggles On 22 August 2025, Palmer injured his groin during a pre-match warm-up against West Ham United. He returned to action on 13 September, coming off the bench to score his first goal of the season in a draw against Brentford. Four days later, he scored his second career Champions League goal in a 3–1 away defeat to Bayern Munich. However, following a recurrence of his groin injury in a league match against Manchester United on 20 September, as well as a fractured toe sustained in an accident, Palmer remained sidelined until 3 December, when he made a substitute appearance in a league match against Leeds United. On 13 December, he scored the opening goal in a 2–0 home win against Everton, before scoring a penalty against Bournemouth on 30 December.

On 7 February 2026, Palmer scored his fourth Premier League hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with all three goals coming in the first half. With this feat, he became the first player to record three separate first-half hat-tricks in league history. His second goal, a penalty, also marked his 50th for Chelsea in all competitions.

2026–27 In Chelsea's opening match of the 2026–27 season, Palmer produced a man of the match display in a 3–2 win at Fulham.

International career Palmer represented the England national under-17 team at the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

On 27 August 2021, Palmer received his first call-up for the England under-21s. He scored a goal on his debut in a 2–0 win over Kosovo in 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification. He was later included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, starting in the final as the Young Lions went on to win the tournament.

On 13 November 2023, Palmer received his first call-up to the senior England national team ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia. He made his debut on 17 November, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute in England's 2–0 victory against Malta at Wembley Stadium.

In May 2024, Palmer was selected in the 33-man preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024. Palmer made his first England start and scored his first senior international goal in a pre-tournament friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 3 June. Three days later, he was named in coach Gareth Southgate's final 26-man squad for the tournament. He made his tournament debut as a substitute in England's final Group C match against Slovenia on 25 June. Five days later, he again appeared as a substitute, replacing Kieran Trippier in the 66th minute of England's 2–1 extra time win over Slovakia in the round of 16.

Palmer appeared as a 78th-minute substitute, replacing Ezri Konsa in the quarter-final against Switzerland and scored the first kick of England's 5–3 penalty shootout win. On 10 July, Palmer came off the bench with Ollie Watkins in the 81st minute to assist the latter's winning goal in the 90th minute of the semi-final against the Netherlands, sending England to their second consecutive Euros final, and their first ever final on foreign soil. Four days later, on 14 July, Palmer came off the bench in the 70th minute of the final against Spain, and scored England's equaliser from outside the box just three minutes later. However, Spain went on to win the match 2–1.

On 8 October 2024, Palmer was named as the England Men's Player of the Year for the 2023–24 season.

Personal life Palmer is of Afro-Kittitian descent on his father's side of the family. His great-grandparents were part of the Windrush generation and migrated to the United Kingdom in 1955, while his grandfather followed in 1960.

Player profile Style of play A playmaker, Palmer predominantly plays centrally as an attacking midfielder, although he is also capable of operating as a winger on both flanks. Citing Wayne Rooney as inspiration, Palmer says he enjoys "street football style, playing freely and creatively". He is known for passing, ball-carrying, vision, and attacking intelligence. He frequently cuts inside the opposition's defensive line to shoot or create chances for teammates. Although predominantly left-footed, he is also adept with his right foot. He has been frequently praised by media sources as one of the best players in world football, as well as for his ability to perform in high-pressure matches, earning the description of a "big game player". Palmer himself has said that he enjoys playing in tournament finals.

Reception Former Bristol City and Sunderland manager Lee Johnson described Palmer as "a matador showing his shoulder", and praised his technical ability. Palmer's composure on the pitch, particularly when taking penalties, has also been lauded, earning him the nickname "Cold Palmer". He responded to this by celebrating goals with his arms crossed and his hands rubbing his shoulders, a gesture he has attributed to his former Manchester City teammate, and current Chelsea teammate, Morgan Rogers.

Career statistics Club

International

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Palmer goal

Honours Manchester City Premier League: 2022–23 FA Cup: 2022–23 UEFA Champions League: 2022–23 UEFA Super Cup: 2023

Chelsea UEFA Conference League: 2024–25 FIFA Club World Cup: 2025 FA Cup runner-up: 2025–26 EFL Cup runner-up: 2023–24

England U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2023

England UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2024 Premier League Fan Team of the Season: 2023–24 London Football Awards Men's Young Player of the Year: 2024 London Football Awards Goal of the season: 2025 Premier League Player of the Month: April 2024, September 2024 Premier League Goal of the Month: April 2024, Premier League Young Player of the Season: 2023–24 The Athletic Premier League Insiders Signing of the Season: 2023–24 The Athletic Premier League Young Player of the Season: 2023–24 The Athletic Premier League Team of the Season: 2023–24 Premier League Game Changer of the Season: 2023–24 Fantasy Premier League Team of the Season: 2023–24 UEFA Conference League Team of the Season: 2024–25 EA Sports FC Premier League Team of the Season: 2024–25 ESM Team of the Season: 2024–25 FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2025 FIFPRO Men's World 11: 2025 FIFA Men's World 11: 2025