'Makes it look so easy' - Cole Palmer compared to Eden Hazard as former Chelsea boss backs 'intelligent' England international to win the Ballon d'Or

Palmer was always tipped as a talented youngster while he was at Manchester City, but the English star unlocked his full potential after he switched to Stamford Bridge in 2023. Since joining the Blues, Palmer has been the club's standout performer, having scored 37 Premier League goals in 71 appearances in the last two seasons.

After stepping up for Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup and helping his team win their second title of the 2024-25 campaign after the UEFA Conference League, Palmer has earned high praise from ex-Blues boss Di Matteo, who has compared the Englishman to club legend Hazard while backing him for Ballon d'Or success.

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."

Palmer is set to report back for pre-season in August. The Blues are scheduled to face Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in two friendly matches, before they kick off their 2025-26 Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on August 17.