Topics: Chelsea, Cole Palmer, Football, Manchester City, Premier League, Jude Bellingham
Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer made a bold prediction in his 2013 school yearbook – and it makes for astonishing reading.
Palmer, 22, has been one of the best-performing players so far this season, having registered seven goals and five assists in 11 Premier League games for Chelsea this term.
His form is no surprise, but when he made the switch from Manchester City to Chelsea in September 2023, it certainly raised a few eyebrows.
But in his first season, he netted 22 times as well as providing 11 assists for his teammates, which saw him named 2023/24 PFA Young Player of the Year.
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Palmer’s self-belief is there for all to see having already shown he can handle pressure and is seemingly unfazed by most occasions, scoring in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.
His confidence in his ability was apparent from an early age, which he recalled in an interview with The Telegraph.
The Manchester-born man left Gatley Primary School in Cheadle in 2013 and, like his peers, had to sign an “aspirations book” with each pupil completing the sentence “One day I’ll be…”.
Palmer, who was at Man City’s academy from the age of six, wrote “A footballer.”
At the time, this would have likely been several children’s responses, but for Palmer, it became a reality.
Not only has he become a footballer, but he has competed and shone at the elite level on both the domestic and international stages.
Later in his younger years, City paid for Palmer to attend the private St Bede’s College, but even with the high level of standards at the school, Palmer was only ever going to focus on his footballing exploits.
“Teachers always tell you to get a plan B,” he said.
“But I didn’t listen.”
This is not the first time an England star has made an ambitious prediction about their future while still only in school.
Jude Bellingham made a similar admission in his 2014 school yearbook, claiming: “I want to be a professional footballer for Barcelona and England."
Of course, he has played for England 39 times and currently plays in La Liga, but his choice of club was the only part that has not come true as the 21-year-old signed for Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2023.
