The first time Cole Palmer went to a major tournament, England had gone home before he even got there.
Now Palmer is determined to help England stay at the Euros for as long as possible as he sets his sights on Slovakia in the last-16 on Sunday. England forward Palmer was just a 12-year-old kid when he flew out to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup because his grandad Gary was living in Rio at the time.
“By the time I got there they’d already been knocked out!” laughed Palmer. “But it was great. I went to watch Belgium versus Russia. It was the Maracana.
“My granddad lived in Rio. He got an apartment out there. All the people were there, selling them, so he got one for three weeks.”
His earliest memory of England at a World Cup was actually Frank Lampard hitting the bar against Germany in 2010 which instantly makes you feel old. But Palmer is already exceeding expectations as he enjoyed the season of his life after joining Chelsea, has become THAT player that every neutral wants to see in the England starting line-up and is, of course, renowned for being ice cool at penalties.
So, even if he does not start, would Palmer be prepared to come on in the 119th minute to take a penalty in the shootout? “Ivan Toney asked me this,” said Palmer. “I’d come on and take one.”
Basically nothing fazes Palmer. This is the kid who was prepared to push to leave Manchester City last summer to get more regular football. City boss Pep Guardiola insisted that he wanted him to stay but Palmer left you with the impression that he did not think his old manager tried that hard.
Cole Palmer (yellow bib) battles for the ball with Joe Gomez in England training
But Palmer says he owes his place in the England squad to Mauricio Pochettino because the Argentinian gave him his chance at Chelsea. He is also grateful to new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca because it was the Italian who actually put him out on the right wing during his time as a coach at City.
When asked whether Pochettino was the reason he made the England squad, Palmer said: “Probably the main reason because a different manager might not have given me that freedom and opportunity to do what I did at Chelsea.
”He put his trust in me and we built a good relationship. Not just with him but with all his staff who were there. When he left I was gutted.
“To be fair Enzo was the one who put me at right-wing. So from the 18s I was playing 10 and when I went to the 23s Enzo played me on the right…. That was my first full season on the right.”
Palmer grew up as a Manchester United fan, idolised Wayne Rooney and now hangs out with Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton and they all play padel together. He joked that people in London are far less friendly than up north and insists that he invented the “Cold Palmer” goal celebration – where he rubs his arms to keep warm after an ice-cold finish – is all his despite others claiming it.
But, most of all, he is ready to start and admits he has seen all the love for him on social media and the national push to get him in the starting XI. Palmer, who made his tournament debut as a substitute against Slovenia, added: “You can see on social media what fans think. There’s loads of different teams people want to play, so it’s normal. It’s nice to see it but it’s not up to them, is it?
