Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has backed Cole Palmer to be a future winner of the Ballon d’Or and believes the England international shares similarities to how he played.
Zola was in attendance at Stamford Bridge as Palmer returned his brilliant best in the 2-1 win against Newcastle on Sunday.
The 22-year-old was instrumental for the Blues and played a big role in both goals as he played an incredible pass in the build up to Nicolas Jackson’s opener before scoring the winner early in the second half.
Zola backs Palmer to be a future Ballon d’Or winner
Palmer scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in the league last season as he was named Premier League Young Player of the Year, and he already has seven goals and five assists in nine games this campaign.
The England international has rightly been receiving plaudits from far and wide for his performances and Maresca compared him to Zola after the win against Newcastle.
The Italian maestro himself has now had his say on Palmer and has backed the Englishman to be a future winner of the Ballon d’Or.
“One thing for sure he can work on is his physique,” he told The Mirror.
“He can get a little bit faster and maybe a little bit stronger in one-on-ones. I know his mind is very quick. He will have to get his body a little bit quicker.
“But seeing him when he first played for Chelsea and seeing him now, I can see how much ground he has covered, I can see him also covering other ground.
“And if he does that, he can be in contention for the Ballon d’Or because the numbers and the skills are there. There is still work to do but potentially he can do that. He has a very, very good coach to work with in Maresca and I am he will make sure he works on that.”
Palmer came 25th in the rankings for this year’s award, which was won by Manchester City midfielder Rodri, but if he can produce another brilliant season and help the Blues win trophies then he can definitely climb the rankings next year.
