Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Chelsea star Cole Palmer lists Man Utd great among three players he used to imitate as a kid

The talented 21-year-old could not have wished for a better group of role models, with a generation packed with all-time greats providing the inspiration for him to forge his own career at the very highest level. Palmer has been drafted into the senior England squad for the first time, on the back of a summer that saw him leave Manchester City for Chelsea while becoming a European champion with his country at U21 level, and is following in the footsteps of those that he once looked up to.

Palmer has told the Daily Mail of his meteoric rise to prominence, which could deliver a first full cap in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta on Friday: “Yeah, it’s been crazy. The changes have happened so fast. From winning the Euros with the Under 21s, to signing for Chelsea, then getting called up here. It’s all happened so fast. I am excited for it all. In the garden as a kid I used to pretend to be loads of players. Rooney, Ronaldo, Messi. All of them. But all this felt a long way away when I was that age. Now I am here I have thought about it and what it may be like to play. When I make my debut it will be an amazing moment for me and my family… if it happens.”

Palmer has shown that he has the character to become an England regular, with a nerveless penalty converted against former employers City in Chelsea’s latest Premier League outing – with that stoppage-time spot-kick helping to claim a share of the points in a thrilling 4-4 draw. Palmer said of stepping up under the most intense pressure: “When I saw the ref give it I thought, ‘It’s my time’. I spoke to Raz (Raheem Sterling) and was like, ‘I wanna take it’. When I put the ball down I just picked a spot and put it there. I wasn’t nervous, not really. I have always tried to believe in myself.”

England have another qualification clash with North Macedonia to take in on Monday – with tickets already booked to next summer’s Euros in Germany – before domestic action resumes next weekend, with Palmer and Chelsea set to take in a testing trip to Newcastle.