"If he does that, he can be in contention for Ballon d'Or" – Gianfranco Zola pinpoints where Chelsea ace Cole Palmer must improve

Chelsea icon Gianfranco Zola has revealed the one thing that Cole Palmer should work on, asserting that the attacking midfielder has potential to win the Ballon d'Or one day.

Palmer, who finished 25th in the 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings earlier on Monday, has proved to be a sensational signing for Chelsea. The 22-year-old bagged 25 goals, including 22 in the Premier League, and contributed 15 assists in 45 total matches for his club last season.

The Manchester City youth product has been in good form in the ongoing 2024-25 campaign. He has netted seven goals and laid out five assists in 11 overall outings under new Blues head coach Enzo Maresca.

Speaking to Mirror, Zola stated that Palmer is not the finished product yet and has room for improvement. The ex-Blues assistant coach opined:

"He needs to work a lot on his game, of course, because he is still young and there are things that can make him better. One thing for sure he can work on is his physique. He can get a little bit faster and maybe a little bit stronger in one-on-ones."

Zola, who played for the Blues from 1996 to 2003, continued:

"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."

Backing Maresca to help Palmer win the Ballon d'Or, he said:

"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."

Which Chelsea men's and women's stars have finished in top-3 of Ballon d'Or list in the past?

So far, only three Chelsea stars have ever finished in the top-three of a Ballon d'Or list. Frank Lampard came closest to lifting the famed individual honour in 2005, but finished second behind Brazil great Ronaldinho.

Jorginho, who left the Blues to join Arsenal in the winter of 2023, was a shock top-three finisher in 2021. He ended third, after a brilliant season for club and country, behind Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi.

Meanwhile, Chelsea women's side forward Sam Kerr has achieved three back-to-back top-three finishes in the French award's list. She ended second in 2023 after finishing in third spot twice in 2021 and 2022.