The Cold Palmer Legend

In the latest post by Central Cee, the now ubiquitous London rapper announcing the launch of the new drop from his streetwear brand Syna, Cole Palmer appears almost by chance after the usual photos of the Roadman aesthetic. The Chelsea FC and England star is feeling right at home in this English suburb, sporting the usual outfit of a Nike tech tracksuit and Syna branded Air Max 95, suggesting he could be one of the testimonials for this collaboration. And just a fortnight ago, Palmer was featured in a new Burberry campaign called “The Duffle with Cole Palmer", which includes a nearly ten-minute video in which the Blues outfielder is caught fishing with a fixed camera. It was another step on his way to the top of football, contrary to all the clichés that apply to the careers of today's players.

Chelsea's Savior

Having joined Chelsea on September 1st, 2023 (deadline day) for what was seen then as a steep £42.5 million fee, the lad from Wythenshaw has put up a staggering 51 goals and assists in 54 games for the West London side, collecting accolades such as the Premier League Young Player of the Year Award 2023/24, England Player of the Year Award 2024, and a Ballon d’Or nomination alongside a litany of Man of the Match and Goal of the Month awards. Oh, and he also scored in the Euro24 Final, important not to forget that despite England’s inability to win a crucial match under the now departed Gareth Southgate.

In describing his move to Chelsea in a recent interview with ITV, Palmer explained that “to move [to Chelsea], it changed my life.” Not one to waste words, or goal opportunities, Palmer has been able to glide nonchalantly through the rugged terrain of the British football media landscape coming out of it as a universally adored figure set to carry both his club and his nation over the next decade. But how did a young lad from south Manchester rise through the footballing ranks of Manchester City, step across the north/south divide into a turbulent Chelsea team and excel to a level that firmly places him in the thoroughly over-used, but in this case thoroughly warranted, bracket of a world class footballer? 

Where Cole Palmer comes from

Born on May 6, 2002, in Wythenshawe, a district in south Manchester, to a Mancunian mother and Afro-Kittitian father, Palmer’s early footballing experiences, much like that of fellow Manchester starlet Phil Foden, were forged on the local pitches and streets. Both were ordinary lads from the greater Manchester region, with extraordinary talent. Having left his boyhood club to join Manchester City aged only seven years old, a decision at the time that meant he joined what for him would have been seen as the wrong side of Manchester being a United fan himself, Palmer excelled through the academy. Yet, if it were not for the intervention of Jason Wilcox durning Palmer’s early teenage years, the world of football would almost certainly have not seen his talent flower as concerns around his slight physicality were enough to urge academy coaches to want to release him, a move that was vetoed by Wilcox. Palmer went on to Captain the City under-18s side in the 2019/20 season before stepping into the first team squad under the watchful eye of one Pep Guardiola.

The 2021-2022 season saw Palmer continue to build on his debut campaign. He featured more regularly in City’s first team, making several starts in cup competitions and coming off the bench in the Premier League. One of the standout moments of Palmer’s early career came in a Champions League match against Club Brugge in October 2021, where he scored his first goal in the competition just moments after coming on as a substitute. In 2023, Palmer scored an equaliser against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield having come on as a substitute for Erling Haaland, a game City went on to lose penalties. Just ten days later, Palmer scored his final goal for the Cityzens, a beautiful equaliser in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, which Manchester City won 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out. That is why it seemed strange to choose to sell him in the summer, on the last available day of the football market, to a bitter rival: Chelsea.

The Cold Palmer Legend

Undoubtedly, Cole Palmer has been the catalyst for the club's rethink and has improved the quality of football game after game. Palmer has almost single-handedly lifted Chelsea out of a downward spiral that many fans had not seen in almost four decades. He is the beacon of hope on which Enzo Maresca's project rests, and he is not letting that deter him in the slightest. Palmer has given Chelsea fans a reason to believe again that they are a top team in the Premier League and Europe, and to cheer with him every time he scores a goal or makes an assist. And it was the creation of his trademark, recognisable by a single gesture, that catapulted Palmer into the football superstars' stratosphere. “My mate Morgs did one for Middlesbrough, so I told him I'd do one too if I scored a goal," he explained in an interview about his former City academy teammate Morgan Rogers. The gesture of warming up with his hands on opposite shoulders, made famous by Trae Young in the NBA, turned him into Cold Palmer for all to see with a simple play on words.

The ice cold, ruthless and crystal clear talent who puts opposing defences in danger every time he gets the ball, the golden boy who came from deepest England dressed like a road worker. Cole, or rather Cold Palmer, doesn't fit many of the clichés that define the modern footballer, but that's exactly why everyone likes him. Especially Chelsea fans, of course, who can finally enjoy having a star player in their shirt after a difficult few years, but also among his colleagues, who emulate him in various fields, from the Premier League to the NFL. And his popularity has made him an inspirational profile for fashion brands eager to pack his outlandish aura into a shoot or a complete look. Hence the choice of Burberry, which is desperately trying to restore its quintessentially English aesthetic by relying on a growing number of Premier League footballers to reclaim its relationship with football and subcultures. Nike is looking to do the same, and after collaborating with Central Cee on a special Paris Saint-Germain jersey, he could be the perfect testimonial for the Swoosh's new street cred. Even together with his partner Cold Palmer.