Cole Palmer inherits Drogba’s crown as Chelsea’s cup final king | OneFootball

Cometh the hour, cometh Cole. The difference between good players and great players often hinges on an ability to turn up when it matters most.

When the lights are brightest and the stakes are at their highest, it’s a capability to perform. Cole Palmer, it appears, has it in abundance.

Chelsea were fortunate to have arguably football’s best big-game player in their ranks for almost a decade.

Didier Drogba’s goal record may not always win him arguments among the data boffins of social media but few possessed the personality to rise to the occasion quite like the Ivorian.

He scored nine times in 10 cup finals for Chelsea, none more important than his late equaliser against Bayern Munich as the Blues became London’s first Champions League winners in 2012.

In Chelsea’s hour of need, he almost always stepped up. Palmer appears to be from the same mould.

The 22-year-old’s rise at Chelsea has been extraordinary. Signed from the fringes of the Manchester City first team, many questioned the initial £40m fee. Less than a year later, he was the face of a Chelsea project that has now spent almost £1.5billion since 2022.

Ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday, the pre-game build-up focused on Palmer and Ousmane Dembele.

Together, the Chelsea midfielder and Paris Saint-Germain forward posed at the top of the Rockefeller Center. Dembele might be the frontrunner to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, but Sunday’s final was all about the man who shared the photoshoot.

Palmer was at the centre of Chelsea’s ruthless first-half performance as the Blues exposed a PSG side that has looked largely unstoppable since the turn of the year. His first, after good work from Malo Gusto, was a trademark finish, caressed past Gianluigi Donnarumma into the bottom corner.

Eight minutes later, he doubled the lead. Time appeared to slow down for Palmer, who bought himself space on the edge of the area to pass another perfect finish past Donnarumma.

He was not done. Just before half-time, Palmer turned provider. Charging into the PSG half unchallenged, he picked out Joao Pedro’s run with the forward lifting in a third. Three ahead at the break, this final was done.

This was a PSG side that has lapped up adulation for their performances in recent months. Just four days earlier, the French side had thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-final. Here, in New Jersey, Palmer was toying with them.

Palmer’s performance followed a similarly superb showing in May’s Conference League conquest. With Chelsea trailing against Real Betis, two moments of star quality saw Palmer set up goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to turn the game around. When the chips are down, Palmer performs.

Last summer, he came off the bench to score for England in the Euro 2024 final. Though that fixture ended in defeat, many questioned whether things could have been different had Palmer been afforded more than 146 minutes throughout the tournament. Next year, when the World Cup final is staged at the same MetLife Stadium where Palmer shone so brightly this weekend, England will hope to be present.

It would be a huge surprise if Palmer does not feature more prominently for the Three Lions next summer. The England shirt has weighed heavy on many players but Palmer does not appear to feel pressure, or at least outwardly convey it.

It’s important to remember, amid the plaudits for Palmer, that last season had its downturn. His final 16 games of the Premier League season did not deliver an open-play goal, as his sky-high standards suffered an inevitable dip. But, after a summer spent as the Club World Cup’s Player of the Tournament, Palmer looks back to his best. He is primed for a huge season. Chelsea will build around him, and so they should.

Read – Maresca ecstatic as Chelsea beat ‘best in the world’ PSG

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