Cole Palmer has never watched Gianfranco Zola put on a Chelsea shirt, but he knows the Italian was good because of his icon card on the video game FIFA.
Following his man of the match performance in the Blues’ win over Newcastle United on Sunday, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca compared his star man Palmer to Chelsea legend Zola, saying: “I don’t know if Cole knows Gianfranco but they are quite similar in terms of quality, in terms of seeing things that the rest don’t see.”
Palmer was later questioned about his boss’ remarks and was quick to admit that he only knew Zola was good because of his icon card on FIFA: “I know he’s an icon on FIFA so he must have been good. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t really watch him,” he confessed.
It’s not the first time Palmer’s comments in a TV interview have grabbed the headlines, with the Chelsea man going viral on TikTok for his comment in a BBC clip earlier this year.
When asked what his favourite post-match meal was he explained how he liked a Chinese meal but only got chips if they were “chippy chips”.
(Image: Getty Images)
The 22-year-old is showing just how young he is with comments about FIFA and chippy chips, but that didn’t stop him from playing a vital role in Chelsea’s impressive win against Newcastle. He scored the winner just after the break after having a goal ruled out for offside earlier in the game.
Palmer has had an unstoppable 18 months since moving to Stamford Bridge and continues to prove why he is arguably Chelsea’s most important player.
His ball in the build-up to the opening goal was described as “one of the best passes in Premier League history” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher and his second-half strike made sure of victory.