Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo target set for Cole Palmer as Chelsea sensation told how to earn legendary status

Palmer's incredible 25 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions during his debut season at Stamford Bridge earned him widespread recognition. He was subsequently rewarded with a European championship call-up by Gareth Southgate and made five appearances for England at the summer tournament, notching a goal in their final defeat to Spain.

In the early stages of the new Premier League season, Palmer has continued to impress. He provided three assists and scored a goal against Wolves in a 6-2 rout and then followed it up with another assist against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. This has left former Chelsea defender William Gallas raving about the youngster, who he has challenged to reach the same level as Messi and Ronaldo.

Speaking to Prime Casino, Gallas said: "Cole Palmer needs to stay at his level. Produce a season like that again. And again. And again. Season after season, that’s what the very best players - the legends - do. Messi and Ronaldo, these guys were the best for almost 15-20 years. It’s remarkable, and that is the standard if you want to be considered the best."

Achieving such longevity and success in football is no easy task. And Gallas warned that it takes an enormous amount of mental strength and discipline to reach the pinnacle of the sport by maintaining peak performance over a sustained period.

"What Palmer did last season with Chelsea was just incredible," he said. "I want to see him do it again. We’ve seen a lot of players have one season at the top level. The most difficult challenge for players is to stay in that level. To do it takes unbelievable commitment, huge sacrifices. You must live your life like a monk. You must be happy knowing that you’re going to have three weeks in the year to switch off, and then you have to work even harder than the year before. It's not easy to do that. Not many players have the mental resources to deliver that kind of commitment."

The pressure is on, but for a player of Palmer’s potential, the sky is the limit. He will be back in action on Saturday when Chelsea come up against West Ham in the Premier League.