Cole Palmer pretended to be Wayne Rooney as a kid, but chooses Neymar over Real Madrid and Man City legends
07/03/2024 04:40 PM
Cole Palmer has the world at his feet for England and Chelsea, and is drawing on inspiration from one Brazilian icon.
The 22-year-old attacker is now making his mark at Euro 2024 after an incredible Premier League season where he finished runner-up in the Golden Boot race with 22 goals in 33 games.
A substitute so far for the Three Lions, Palmer has provided plenty of inspiration in his cameos and there have been many calls for him to start matches after an incredible debut season for Chelsea.
Deadly from the penalty spot and with a steely nerve well beyond his years, it's easy to see why English football is already obsessed with its latest star.
And it also becomes even clearer why Palmer is so impressive, given who his favourite player is.
In a game of 'Winner Stays On' with talkSPORT, he stuck with Brazil legend Kaka through a number of comparisons, before switching to Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta.
It was then quickly over to Neymar, who beat out Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard, David Silva, Mesut Ozil, Bernardo Silva, Zinedine Zidane and Yaya Toure.
The comparisons are obvious between the two forwards who love to pick the ball up out wide before attacking the opposition goal with venom.
But when asked who he used to pretend to be in the playground growing up, it was instead an England megastar who provided the most inspiration.
"Wayne Rooney," Palmer answered. "Because I was a Manchester United fan when I was younger and used to watch him all the time."
And what would it look like if the two were paired together?
"Danger!" Palmer said with a laugh.
It remains to be seen whether Palmer will get the nod on Saturday but talkSPORT understands England boss Gareth Southgate will ring around the changes for the clash in Dusseldorf.
With defender Marc Guehi suspended, Southgate is considering playing a back three with wing-backs, which could see Bukayo Saka get moved to left wing-back, potentially freeing up a role in the forward roles for Palmer.
When asked what position he’d like to play for England, Palmer said: “Anywhere near the net.”
“Maybe not on the left but maybe as a right forward. I don’t mind the left, though.
“Sometimes I like it when I go across the pitch then go on the left for a bit to get the ball in. Sometimes it is pretty fun on the left.”
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