England and Chelsea star Cole Palmer selected Italy cult hero Mario Balotelli when asked which player he would choose to take a penalty if his life depended on it.
Palmer, who is currently the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year and the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year in England, said that if he couldn’t choose himself, he would want Balotelli to take the kick if he had to pick somebody to save his life from the penalty spot.
Palmer picks Balotelli to save his life from the penalty spot
“If I can’t say me,” he began, before being interrupted by the interviewer, who said “You can say yourself.”
“Yeah I would, but I’ll say one just for the content,” the 22-year-old continued. “The one that comes to my head is Balotelli. Have you seen his pens?”
“I trust him, go on YouTube and search his penalties,” the former Manchester City graduate said to a slightly perplexed interviewer.
We asked Cole Palmer to choose one player to take a penalty to save his life… 👇 pic.twitter.com/ttBZnZUEfX
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) September 30, 2024
Palmer and Balotelli both spent three seasons in Manchester City’s first team, exactly a decade apart.
The Italian rose to cult hero status in England under Roberto Mancini between 2010 and 2013, while Palmer, who came through the academy, spent three years with the senior squad under Pep Guardiola between 2020 and 2023 before his big-money move to Chelsea last summer.
Poor lad. The stress of football is definitely getting to him.