Ex-Chelsea winger believes Palmer is on the verge of being compared to Ronaldo and Messi

In the past season, Chelsea's talisman Cole Palmer failed to replicate his prolific scoring stats from the 2023/2024 campaign, which led many pundits to question whether he could maintain his form consistently. Still, he remains in contention for comparisons with football's biggest names.

Details: Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin stated that to be likened to legendary players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, that level must be proven year after year—but right now, Palmer is as close as ever to earning a place in that elite pantheon.

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Quote: “A year ago, comparisons with Zinedine Zidane were justified. Then—not anymore. But now, we can talk about it again. Cole is definitely a world-class player, and still very young.

At the Euros, all the attention was on other players while Palmer was on the bench. I was thinking: ‘What are you doing? Why isn’t he on the pitch?’
It doesn’t matter who looks flashy—it matters who delivers results. I think almost any team in the world would love to have him. That’s the definition of ‘world class’.

He’s close to that second tier after such icons, but he needs to prove it every season. Last year, he was outstanding.”