"You have to be very special to do that" - Gary Neville names trait Chelsea star Cole Palmer shares with Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville has highlighted a trait in Chelsea star Cole Palmer which reminds him of a young Cristiano Ronaldo. The former England right-back witnessed Ronaldo's meteoric rise from a youngster to a football great from close quarters.

Gary Neville and Cristiano Ronaldo regularly played together on the right flank for Manchester United when the latter started making waves as a young winger. Neville has highlighted that Chelsea attacking midfielder Cole Palmer has a unique trait which his former teammate also had and could therefore go a long way.

Neville has insisted that Palmer gets into the positions where his team need him the most just like how Cristiano Ronaldo used to do. The pundit said on The Overlap US YouTube channel, as quoted by Football.London:

"The big thing for me when I watch Chelsea play - and Ronaldo used to do this when he got to maturity level, 2006 to 2008 at Manchester United - he would play in the area of the pitch where his team needed him, and where he could do the most damage."

"I actually watched him in a game against Crystal Palace last season where they were struggling in the first half of the game, and he then went on to the right-hand side and he flipped his position. All of a sudden, Chelsea started to play, they started to create problems," Neville added.

The former England international added:

"So if Cole Palmer is playing centrally, he can basically cause problems - but if he's not, you can move him to the right, you can move him to the left, you can move him up top. And I think he's got to that point now whereby he's become Chelsea's most important player, but I think he's also a player that can dictate on the pitch where he plays."

"And I think you have to be very special to do that, because that was a license that I wasn't willing to give Ronaldo in those early days because he was stood in front of me on the right side, and he'd switch and go and play on the left and flip his position. Or he'd go and play centre forward and I'd be like 'Where's he gone?'" Neville continued.

Highlighting Cole Palmer's incredible in-game intelligence and composure, Neville insisted that Manchester City made a big mistake by selling him to Chelsea. Neville added:

"And then after about probably three or four months from that 2006 season, when he started scoring ten goals, fifteen goals, I think 'Hang on a minute, this guy knows what he's doing - he's preying on the weak point of the opposition team'. And I think that's what Cole Palmer does."

"I think Cole Palmer has an unbelievable understanding of the game, unbelievable technical ability, and also the composure in front of goal. When you put those three things together, that is really, really special - and you cannot believe right now, sat here, how City have got that one so wrong," the former Manchester United skipper concluded.

Cole Palmer has been sensational since joining Chelsea in a reported £42.5 million deal from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The attacking midfielder has registered six goals and four assists in eight games across competitions this season. In total, he has produced 31 goals and 19 assists in 53 appearances for the Blues so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, made his name at Manchester United, joining the Red Devils in 2003 from Sporting CP. The reported £12 million signing went on to score 145 goals and create another 64 in 346 games for the Red Devils in two stints at Old Trafford.

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Chelsea star Cole Palmer picks between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Red-hot Chelsea star Cole Palmer picked Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo when asked to pick between the two. In an interview with the PFA, the 22-year-old named Messi as his idol while growing up. The former Manchester City attacking midfielder said:

"Best player I ever played with? Kevin de Bruyne. Who did I want to be growing up? Lionel Messi. Who is the best player in the world right now? Either I'd say Vini (Vinicius Junior) or Mbappe (Kylian Mbappe). Pick one? Mbappe."

Palmer named Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney as the best English player of all time. He also named former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo as the best finisher he has ever seen. Palmer said:

"Best passer in football past and present? You've got Kevin de Bruyne, you've got Trent (Alexander-Arnold), nah, Toni Kroos. Best finisher in football history past and present? Cristiano Ronaldo. Best dribbler? Neymar."

He was also asked to pick between two players in a quickfire round and eventually picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo. Palmer added:

"Messi or KDB? Messi. Mbappe or Wayne Rooney? Mbappe. Cole Palmer or Toni Kroos? Toni Kroos. CR7 or Neymar? CR7. Messi or Mbappe? Messi. Kroos or CR7? CR7. CR7 or Messi? Messi."