Chelsea 'genius' Cole Palmer has 'unique' quality, hyped for future Ballon d'Or despite Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich

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Chelsea's Cole Palmer was described as a "genius" by former Blues midfielder Joe Cole after scoring a sensational individual goal against Bayern Munich. Enzo Maresca's side were beaten 3-1 at the Allianz Arena, but their 23-year-old talisman impressed once again on the big stage. Former Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves praised Palmer's "unique" ability to "get better the higher the level goes".

'The kid is a genius' - Palmer has 'something very unique'

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Joe Cole labelled Chelsea’s Cole Palmer a "genius" after the Englishman scored a wonderful individual goal against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

The Blues were beaten 3-1 at the Allianz Arena in their first game of the league phase, with Trevoh Chalobah scoring an own goal and Harry Kane netting either side of Palmer’s strike.

But Chelsea’s No. 10 was once again the standout player for Enzo Marecsa’s side on his 100th appearance for the club, halving the deficit in the first half before having a sublime second ruled out late on by a marginal offside call.

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For the goal which did count, the 23-year-old picked the ball up inside his own half, drove to the edge of the Bayern box and played a one-two with Malo Gusto before directing a first-time finish into the top left corner.

"He's a genius," former Blues midfielder Cole said on TNT Sports as he analysed the goal. "People might have thought I was going a bit too wild over that goal because it’s a simple one-two.

"But running at that pace, leaving it in the right position on the back foot of Gusto, and then having the wherewithal to open up your body on the run and just hit it with the meat of your foot to lift it into the roof of the net.

"The kid's a genius. It’s a privilege to have him at Chelsea and England, and he was brilliant tonight."

'Super finish' from Palmer gets Chelsea 'back in the game' after wild start

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It was not the first time that Palmer impressed on the big stage, having scored twice in the FIFA Club World Cup final victory over Paris Saint-Germain in July after starring in the UEFA Conference League final win against Real Betis two months earlier.

The attacker also scored the equalising goal for England in their European Championship final against Spain last summer, before they were ultimately beaten, as well as the winning goal when Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Community Shield in 2023.

TNT Sports’ Owen Hargreaves believes this is a "very unique" quality for a player to have.

"I think he's actually one of the players to get better the higher the level goes," the former Manchester United midfielder said.

"Think of the goals he scored in finals for Man City and the way he played at the Club World Cup.

"He has something very unique that the bigger the light gets, the better he gets; it's just in him."

Highlights: Palmer inspires turnaround as Chelsea create European history

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Even before kick-off, Hargreaves was full of praise for Palmer, lauding the England international’s finishing ability, which he would demonstrate perfectly shortly after.

Hargreaves said: "He is so good, I think I said it when he first burst on the scene. I said he could win the Ballon d'Or one day, that’s how good his start was.

"Maybe it's slowed down a little bit, but you just look at the way he decides games.

"His finishing is up there with some of the best players in the world. He literally passes the ball into the goal.

"He's one of my favourite players to watch in the world of football."

Palmer has been nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or, which will be decided on Monday, but is not expected to challenge for the award.

Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele is the favourite for the prize, with Lamine Yamal another likely contender.

Nevertheless, Palmer's goal against Bayern caps a remarkable 100 games for the Blues, with the 23-year-old scoring 45 goals and setting up a further 29 in his first century of appearances.

Watch and stream the Premier League, Men’s and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+

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