In a somewhat surprising development, Cole Palmer has been voted into the FIFPRO World XI by his fellow professionals. The surprise isn’t because Palmer isn’t amazing or deserving, but rather because last season wasn’t even his best for Chelsea. In fact, his first year with the club, 2023-24, was better in nearly every respect.
It seems that during his debut season, Palmer had not yet built the reputation or clout needed to secure votes and wasn’t even nominated. Now, however, he possesses both the skills and the recognition, so congrats to “The Cold One.” Here’s hoping he returns to action soon and quickly regains his very best form.
Looking at the numbers, Palmer scored 18 goals and registered 14 assists in all competitions last year, compared to an impressive 27 goals and 15 assists the season prior. Despite the dip in stats, he led Chelsea to a couple of trophies, saving some of his best performances for the biggest stages—including the finals of the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Reflecting on his knack for big games, Palmer said after the Club World Cup final, “I like finals,” and we certainly like that!
Palmer was one of just two Premier League players named in this year’s World XI, with Virgil van Dijk being the other. Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was voted the best goalkeeper, although it was for his exploits with Paris Saint-Germain. The rest of the World XI is predictably dominated by players from PSG, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.
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