Cole Palmer compared to Lionel Messi after Chelsea's Conference League title win

Rwittika Chakraborty

Cole Palmer compared to Lionel Messi after Chelsea's Conference League title win image

Chelsea claimed the UEFA Conference League title in style via a stellar 4-1 win over Real Betis on May 28, in Wroclaw.

After falling behind early on, Chelsea rallied superbly after the break, as Cole Palmer laid on two excellent assists for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to drag Enzo Maresca's side back into the contest.

Another superb showing from the England international was rewarded with a Player of the Match award as late goals from Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo wrapped up the victory.

The former Manchester City midfielder registered a superb tally of 27 goals and 15 assists in his debut 2023/24 season at Chelsea.

Those figures saw expectations rocket for 2024/25 as the 23-year-old racked up a final tally of 15 goals and 12 assists in 46 matches.

Palmer remains as the leading light in Maresca's squad, and former Blues star Joe Cole was almost lost for words over his final performance in Poland, drawing comparisons between him and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi.

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'If Messi does this, the world stops' - Joe Cole on Palmer

Speaking on TNT Sports at full-time, Cole claimed it was a 'privilege' to watch Palmer, labelling him as an 'absolute genius.'

"It's a privilege to watch this kid play football. I'm not just saying Chelsea fans, I'm saying England fans. If Lionel Messi performed something like this on a stage like this, the world stops.

"We've got a player with quality that can do things like that, teams should be built around him. Chelsea and England in my opinion. He's an absolute genius."

With his two goal contributions in the final, Palmer has now become the first player to assist twice in the final of a major European competition since Marcelo managed it for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2017-18 Champions League.

Palmer and the rest of the Chelsea squad will now be granted a short break before their flight out to the USA for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Chelsea have been drawn in Group D for the tournament with their opening game against Los Angeles FC or Club America on June 16 in Atlanta.

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Rwittika Chakraborty

Rwittika Chakraborty is a content producer for The Sporting News. Based in India, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from SRM Institute of Science and Technology.