"Can someone tell him" - Cole Palmer makes hilarious claim about Chelsea defender wanting Player of the Tournament award after Conference League win

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer hilariously claimed that his teammate Tosin Adarabioyo wanted the UEFA Conference League player of the tournament award. His comments followed the Blues' comeback victory over Real Betis 4-1 in the tournament's final on Wednesday, May 29.

In the post-match conference after Chelsea were crowned champions of the competition, Palmer asked (via SPORTbible):

"Can I ask a question, who gives Player of the Tournament out for the competition?"

The Englishman was then notified that the UEFA technical observers' panel gives the award. Palmer then went further to request:

"Can someone tell him Tosin wants it."

Palmer's comments left everyone in laughter, including Adarabioyo, who was sitting next to him in the press briefing.

In the just-concluded Conference League, Adarabioyo proved to be a key defender for Chelsea. In 10 outings, he recorded one goal and helped the side keep five clean sheets in the games he featured in. Meanwhile, Palmer mostly featured in a few games only after the competition became increasingly difficult.

In six appearances, Palmer recorded three assists and played a fundamental role in engineering Chelsea's comeback against Betis in the final. Meanwhile, Real Betis attacker Cédric Bakambu, who netted seven goals and two assists, is a strong contender for the player of the tournament award.

"Hopefully it can be a starting point to create a winning mentality" - Chelsea's head coach on their Conference League triumph

Real Betis Balompie v Chelsea FC - UEFA Conference League Final 2025 - Source: Getty

Enzo Maresca hopes that the Blues' Conference League triumph will be a starting point for consistent performances. In an interview after the Blues' victory over Betis, Maresca said (via Ben Jacobs on X):

"Hopefully it can be a starting point to create a winning mentality. We need to win games and competitions."

In the recently concluded term, the Blues were inconsistent across competitions. But they still managed to finish fourth in the Premier League with 69 points from 38 games.

In 57 games across competitions in Maresca's first season, the Blues recorded 35 wins, nine draws, and 13 defeats.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava