Cole Palmer’s old DM to Chelsea hero Eden Hazard resurfaces after he inherits No. 10 shirt at Stamford Bridge

Cole Palmer's direct message to Chelsea legend Eden Hazard has resurfaced after the Englishman was handed the #10 jersey for the upcoming season. The former Manchester City star sent the Belgian a photo of his #10 jersey while playing for the youth side and called him the best player in the world.

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Chelsea have now posted a screenshot of the message sent by Palmer to Hazard. The Englishman sent the text in March 2015, and it read:

"Your the best player In the world." [sic]

Palmer was 12 years old when he sent the text, just over a month away from his 13th birthday. Hazard was enjoying one of his best seasons at that time, in which he played all 38 Premier League matches and finished with 14 goals and 10 assists.

Hazard scored a total of 110 goals and got 85 assists during his time at Chelsea. He also won the Premier League title twice, as well as the UEFA Europa League and FA Cup, once each, before joining Real Madrid in 2019.

Palmer has already scored 40 goals and assisted 27 times for Chelsea in his two seasons at the club. He was wearing the #19 kit so far but has now been handed the #10 following the ban on Mykhailo Mudryk.

Why Cole Palmer left Manchester City for Chelsea

Cole Palmer pushed for an exit from Manchester City, as per Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard claimed that he wanted the Englishman to stay following the sale of Riyad Mahrez, but the youngster opted to leave for Chelsea. He said (via Metro):

"He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said, ‘No! Stay! Stay!’ – but he said, ‘No – I want to leave’ – what could we do? I said in pre-season, stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do? I said stay because Riyad [Mahrez] is gone but for two seasons he wanted to leave.

"Playing that level [he is now] is exceptional. He’s an exceptional player. I didn’t give the minutes that maybe he deserved and now he has at Chelsea. I understand completely. He’s a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He’s playing fantastic so what can I say, the decision has been made for many reasons."

Cole Palmer has had a tough 2025, managing to score just three times this calendar year. He did turn up in the UEFA Conference League final last month and produced two assists to help Chelsea beat Real Betis 4-1.

About the author

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Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava