England’s European Championship campaign may have ended in a heartbreaking final defeat on Sunday but for Cole Palmer, it was another night where he demonstrated his immense talent.
The 22-year-old forward arrived in Germany off the back of a stunning debut campaign with Chelsea following his move from Manchester City, notching 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.
Palmer finished second only to Erling Haaland in the Premier League Golden Boot race, while he was also second in the assist charts behind fellow England international Ollie Watkins.
Even so, Palmer was restricted to an impact substitute role at the Euros, failing to appear in England’s first two games before coming off the bench in their next five.
After providing an assist for Watkins’ memorable last-minute winner against the Netherlands in the semi-final, Palmer once again made his presence felt as he drew England level in Berlin on Sunday with an excellent effort from long range — cancelling out Nico Williams’ opener.
In doing so, Palmer set a new record as the youngest-ever substitute to score a goal in a men’s European Championship final at just 22 years and 69 days old (per Squawka).
Ultimately, the goal counted for nothing as Mikel Oyarzabal netted Spain’s winner just 13 minutes later.
However, Palmer’s performances from the bench this summer, coupled with his incredible form for Chelsea, surely point to a long career at the top.