Cole Palmer Achieves Rare Ballon d'Or Feat No Player Has Managed in 14 Years

Cole Palmer finished in seventh place in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings after a sensational 12 months with Chelsea and England.

The Blues forward scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions last term.

The 23-year-old’s performances helped the West London Club win the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.

However, that is not all.

His goal contributions also inspired Chelsea to a return to the UEFA Champions League after they finished fourth in the Premier League table.

Palmer has also enjoyed a strong start to this season, scoring twice in four appearances for Chelsea.

The Club World Cup winners are currently sixth in the Premier League with eight points to their name.

The former Manchester City star has enjoyed immense success since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2023, and his seventh-place finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings saw him make even more history.

Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates (Image: Getty)

Palmer’s performance in the race for world football’s most coveted individual honour made him the first player since 2011 to finish in the top ten of the rankings without playing Champions League football.

The last player to achieve the feat was Neymar 14 years ago.

The legendary winger was playing for Brazilian side Santos at the time, but he had already made a big impact despite plying his trade outside of Europe’s top five leagues.

Neymar would go on to play for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain before completing a high-profile move to Saudi Arabia.

Current PSG star Ousmane Dembele finished top of the pile in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings, winning the iconic award for the first time in his career.

Ousmane Dembele poses with the Men’s Ballon d’Or trophy (Image: Getty)

He helped the French giants to their first UEFA Champions League crown last term, and also lifted Ligue 1.

He finished first despite stiff competition from Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who helped the Spanish club win La Liga ahead of a star-studded Real Madrid side.

Third place went to PSG and Portugal midfielder Vitinha.

The former Wolves player was key to his club’s Champions League triumph and also helped his national team beat Spain in the final of the UEFA Nations League.