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Cole Palmer expressed his confidence to win the Ballon d'Or at Chelsea.
Asked in an interview with the British Telegraph on the 16th (Korea time), Chelsea sports director Paul Winstenley said, `Palmer can undoubtedly grow (to become the world's best player). He is a player who stands out on the field. It's the same in training, and it's the same in games. He showed faith, saying, "I have the ability to be like that."
Palmer, born in 2002, is the best star born in the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2023-2024 season. Chelsea decided to sign Palmer, who they felt was lacking a chance to play for Manchester City ahead of the season. He spent 48 million euros (about 71.2 billion won) for Palmer, who has not shown much in the first-team stage yet.
A flurry of finger-pointing. It was a huge transfer fee and the prospect of Palmer not succeeding at Chelsea was prevailing.
Palmer and Chelsea shut everyone up. Palmer had 22 goals and 11 assists in the league last season alone. He hit the jackpot with his player-of-the-year performance, ranking first in the most offensive points of the season, second in scoring, and second in assists. In the 2023-2024 season, he had the best season, including the EPL Young Player of the Year, England Player of the Year, and England Footballers Association's Young Player of the Year.
Palmer also has six goals and five assists this season, ranking first in the league's offensive points, second in scoring and second in assists. No player has scored more attacking points in the EPL than Palmer since Palmer wore a Chelsea jersey. The monstrous Elling Holan was also over.
Palmer was also confident that he could win the Ballon d'Or. In an interview with the Telegraph on the 20th, he said, `Chelsea feels like home to me. I look forward to a future that can be achieved together. I am fully committed to spending the future at Chelsea,' he said before adding "It is a great honor to be a finalist at the Ballon d'Or. The Ballon d'Or Prime Minister would be absolutely brilliant. I believe that if you train hard and show consistency, you can do it." He declared that he would try the Ballon d'Or.
The EPL is a place where the world's best players gather, but it has been a long time since the history of the Ballon d'Or was cut off. Since Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 after leading Manchester United to the top of Europe, there have been no Ballon d'Or winners at the league level. Virgil van Dijk in 2019 and Holan in 2023 are the only players who have been close to winning the award since Ronaldo left.
Ballon d'Or is more likely to win the award because it receives better reviews only when the team's performance is good as well as individual performance. It is important for Palmer to do well, but Chelsea and England's performance is also expected to be very important. If Palmer shows the current pace of growth, he will quickly be recognized as the world's best player.
rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
