Cole Palmer makes embarrassing ‘Fifa’ admission about Chelsea legend

Posted by CJ

October 28th 2024, 6:00

Image credits: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images – Ben Radford /Allsport

Cole Palmer has admitted he doesn’t know much beyond Gianfranco Zola beyond him being an ‘icon’ on Fifa after being compared to the Chelsea legend. 

Palmer continued his stunning start to the season with another goal as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 2-1 on Sunday.

The 22-year-old also pulled off a remarkable pass in the build-up to Nicolas Jackson’s opening goal.

Palmer now sits on seven goals and five assists in nine Premier League appearances at the start of this season.

Looking further back, the England international has 32 goals and 20 assists to his name in 56 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions after joining from Manchester City in the summer of 2023.

Cole Palmer makes bizarre Gianfranco Zola admissionCole Palmer has been compared to Gianfranco Zola. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Palmer’s style and effortless class have drawn comparisons to Chelsea legend Zola, who became a firm fan favourite during his seven-year, 312-game spell at Stamford Bridge between 1996 and 2003.

Even Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been among those making the comparison.

“They’re quite similar in terms of quality and seeing things the rest don’t see,” the Italian coach said (via Yahoo).

Palmer was unsurprisingly asked about the comparisons following Sunday’s win. However, the forward gave a surprising response, saying he didn’t know much about Zola beyond the Fifa (now EA Sports FC) video game series.

“I know he is an icon on Fifa so he must have been good. To be honest, I didn’t really watch him play,” Palmer admitted, adding: “Everyone says he was a great player, so thank you.”

Palmer was also asked about his current ‘unstoppable’ form but as always, he remained modest in the face of lavish praise.

“I wouldn’t go that far. I always try to enjoy my football game by game,” he said (via BBC Sport).

“I try to not put pressure on myself. Many people on the outside try to put pressure on me to replicate what I did last season in terms of numbers. It is my second season playing football and I am still very, very young.”