Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has compared Cole Palmer to Eden Hazard, while claiming the England international could win the Ballon d’Or in the future.
The 23-year-old English international has left fans and experts speechless with his ability after his performance in the final of the Club World Cup.
In the final, Palmer scored a brace and provided one assist to guide Chelsea to a surprising 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Palmer was always tipped to be a generational talent even when he was a youngster at Manchester City, but he only unlocked his true potential after joining the Blues in 2023.
Since joining Chelsea, Palmer has established himself as the team’s talisman, having scored 37 Premier League goals in 71 appearances in the last two seasons.
Following his heroics in the Club World Cup final, his performances have not gone unnoticed by former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
What Roberto Di Matteo said about Cole Palmer
Speaking to online casino games, Di Matteo said, “Everybody has his own style, but Cole Palmer is very difficult to mark and to defend against, because he’s such an intelligent player and he always knows where to find the space.”
“But I had to compare him to a former Chelsea player, maybe Eden Hazard. Hazard was a similar player that could slide past opponents with a first touch and find the space as well as go past players and score and assist.”
“So I think that would be probably the closest comparison, to make it look so easy. I think Cole Palmer has all the qualities to win a Ballon d’Or in his career. Ultimately, it depends how successful the team will be with him.”
The Italian added, “To win the Ballon d’Or, you need to be playing in the Champions League, need to be competing for the Premier League or winning the Premier League and also at international level with England.”
“He’s a player who can change the face of the team because when he’s on fire, the team is on fire as well. As we saw last season or in the period that he couldn’t reach the level that he is used to normally, the team struggled a little bit to find other solutions. But I can’t see why not, why he shouldn’t be up there for the Ballon d’Or.”
Chelsea news and related links
