How Cole Palmer won England Player of the Year despite his limited time on pitch (original) (raw)
Cole Palmer was named England Men’s Player of the Year this week - despite his limited time on the pitch for the Three Lions.
Chelsea forward Palmer got the vote from fans ahead of Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, who were second and third respectively. Palmer, 22, made his debut during a 2-0 win against Malta at Wembley in November 2023 and scored after coming on as a substitute in the Euros final against Spain.
He was also a huge hit with fans for his social media appearances and interviews which were the most viewed and watched of any England player at the Euros. The award was open to all England players who had played in 50 per cent or more senior fixtures between September 2023 and July 2024 and was won by Saka in 2022 and 2023.
Here Mirror Football has a look back over the year and analyses Palmer’s remarkable rise with the Three Lions, which has come despite starting just twice in nine appearances under Gareth Southgate’s management.
A low-key start
Palmer made his England debut as a 61st-minute substitute against Malta at Wembley on November 17 last year. It was a low-key start for the Chelsea man, coming in a drab team performance, which didn’t feature a single shot on target in the first half.
Palmer’s assent was rapid – and his move to Chelsea certainly helped, his debut coming off the back of six goals and four assists in 14 games for his new club. His impact with England under-21s was also key, having four months earlier helped them win the European Under-21 Championship.
After a disappointing performance against Malta, Gareth Southgate was delighted to have something positive to point to. "I thought Trent [Alexander-Arnold], Phil [Foden] and Marc Guehi were good and Cole Palmer coming on for his debut had a good impact,” Southgate said. “There are positives but we know we are not where we want to be and can be.”
Cole Palmer made his England debut vs Malta in November 2023 (
Image:
James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Earning Southgate’s trust
Palmer’s next England appearance came shortly after in a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia. Again, it was an underwhelming England performance – and Palmer was only introduced in the 84th minute, not giving him much time to shine.
Southgate said post-match that Palmer and his former Manchester City team-mate Rico Lewis had given him “plenty to think about” as rumblings of discontent from fans continued.
Lift off
Cole Palmer scored his first England goal vs Bosnia (
Image:
Richard Sellers/Getty Images)
A first start came in England’s 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia ahead of Euro 2024. Palmer marked the landmark with a first international goal, converting a penalty after Ezri Konsa was pulled back from a corner. He buried it and pulled out his trademark “Cold Palmer” celebration.
His first England goal meant he had now netted in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, European Super Cup, Community Shield and international football – at the age of 22. Yet it was the performance of Eberechi Eze which caught Southgate’s eye more and the England boss offered a piece of criticism too: “A couple of times, Cole was being too precise and if he got his shots away earlier maybe he could’ve got a couple.”
Booed off
Palmer was given another start four days later, as England finished their preparations for Euro 2024 with a friendly against Iceland at Wembley on June 7. It didn’t go well, with the Three Lions’ bogey team coming back to haunt them again.
Palmer was as guilty as the rest of his team in falling flat, spurning some of his side’s best opportunities in a 1-0 defeat which saw England booed off at the final whistle. He had made the 26-man squad for the Euros, but hadn’t done enough to nail down a starting place.
Frustration
Cole Palmer didn't get off the bench in the first two Euro 2024 matches (
Image:
Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Palmer didn’t get off the bench in the 1-0 win over Serbia or the 1-1 draw with Denmark, with Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins and Eze preferred as substitutes by Southgate. He made his first appearance at Euro 2024 in the dreadful 0-0 draw against Slovenia, introduced as a 71st-minute substitute for Saka.
He forced Jan Oblak into a save – enough to increase the clamour among pundits and fans for him to be given more opportunities. Southgate admitted Palmer looked “sharp”, but ex-players were more complimentary. Ex-England goalkeeper Joe Hart said: “Cole Palmer looked really cool – what a lovely player. He really makes things happen without looking like he's making any effort – he is exceptional to watch.” Chris Sutton was even clearer: “One thing we have learned from this match is Cole Palmer has to start.”
Southgate questioned
“Personally I think I’m ready but it’s not up to me,” Palmer said before the Slovakia game. “I just wait for my time and when I get on I just try to do what I do.”
But despite Sutton’s assertion and his own confidence, Palmer did not start England’s next game – the first knockout match against Slovakia. But he was the first player summoned off the bench as Southgate brought off Kieran Trippier for Palmer in the 66th minute, with Slovakia 1-0 up.
Bellingham’s stunning overhead kick in the 95th minute sent it to extra time, where Harry Kane completed the comeback to send unconvincing England through.
‘Cool as an old man’
Cole Palmer netted his penalty vs Switzerland (
Image:
Matt McNulty/UEFA via Getty Images)
Palmer remained on the bench for the next knockout game, against Switzerland, but once again made a key contribution, coming off the bench to score the first penalty in a shoot-out victory after a 1-1 draw.
By this time, Palmer’s swagger and huge confidence had gone viral online, but Southgate had a strange take on the ease with which he buried his penalty. "Cole, he's like an old man isn't he the way he's fearless,” he said. "So huge performance, huge result for us, and we're still in it."
Impact off the bench
The semi-final against the Netherlands saw Southgate stick with his tried and tested line-up, keeping Saka and Phil Foden in the wide areas. Palmer came on alongside Watkins with the score at 1-1 in the 80th minute in what ended up looking like a masterstroke.
Palmer found the Aston Villa striker in the right channel and Watkins did the rest, blasting in a low winner in the 90th minute to send England into the final. “Sometimes it can work that way,” Southgate told ITV. “The most important thing is that all of the squad is ready to come into the game.”
Goal in defeat
Cole Palmer couldn't prevent England's defeat by Spain (
Image:
Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Palmer had to be content with his role as an impact substitute for the final against Spain, having failed to dislodge Saka, Foden or Bellingham from Southgate’s first-choice line-up. He made it onto the pitch in the 70th minute in Berlin for Kobbie Mainoo and provided the equaliser within just three minutes, curling into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
It wasn’t enough, with Mikel Oyarzabal netting Spain’s winner in the 86th minute, but Palmer’s status for the Three Lions was now secure. He missed Lee Carsley’s first two matches through injury, but is widely considered the most exciting player in the squad now.
England’s future
"Every time I see him, he takes my breath away," former England striker Gary Lineker said recently on Match of the Day. "Of all the talented players England have got, he might be the best of the lot."
Theo Walcott, himself a former England young star with a lot of hype around him, agrees. “You can't leave him out of any team, and I am talking about England too," he said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "He is so gifted, he will have that awe around him so that players are afraid of him. If he continues like this, he is going to be a legend of the Premier League."
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