Cole Palmer continues to shine for Premier League club Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has backed current Stamford Bridge star Cole Palmer to win the Ballon d’Or one day.

Palmer enjoyed an extraordinary first season at Chelsea following a £40m move from Manchester City and has continued his impressive form this term.

The 22-year-old scored 25 goals across the 2023-24 campaign, winning the Premier League Young Player of the Season award and earning a call-up to England’s squad for Euro 2024.

Palmer has already proven his stunning debut season was no flash in the pan, scoring seven goals and making five assists in nine league games.

England’s surprise Player of the Year produced another influential performance on Sunday as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 2-1, scoring the winner shortly after half-time and making a sublime pass in the build-up to Nicolas Jackson’s opener.
?The pass he made to Pedro Neto for the first goal – it was a brilliant pass,’ Zola told the Daily Mirror before going on to explain why Palmer can be a genuine Ballon d’Or contender.

‘I see a lot of things like this that I used to work on in his game. Being able to see the pass before you receive the ball. That is one skill he is developing a lot.

Stamford Bridge legend Gianfranco Zola (Picture: Getty)

‘I saw this skill a lot yesterday and I am impressed because the majority of players, they want to be able to do something ...