Cole Palmer celebrated his first ever England start in dream fashion with a goal on Monday night, but quickly connected with his family to enjoy the moment after the match.
Palmer’s incredible rise has seen him become one of the leading strikers in the Premier League. He finished the season with 22 goals and 11 assists in his first season at Chelsea.
In that time he has become a regular name for the plane to Germany this summer for the European Championships, and on Monday he showed his credentials again.
With the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina failing to come to life around the hour mark, the visitors gave away a penalty at St. James’ Park, with Palmer hitting the spot.
As he has done all season, Palmer put away the penalty and marked his first start with his first goal. As his proud family looked on, he celebrated the milestone with the people who matter most.
Cole Palmer’s sister Hallie watched the moment he celebrated his first goal for England with his proud dad, Jermaine
Palmer is pictured with sister Hallie – who he is close to – who will sign with Manchester City in 2019
Palmer has credited his father (center) with his career as a professional footballer
His sister captured the moment in a TikTok post in which the goalscorer posed with his dad, who understandably had a big grin on his face – and also pulled off the ‘Cold Palmer’ celebration.
Her pride in her brother was evident in her post, which included photos showing his first goal, calling him a star, and another claiming she was his biggest fan.
Although he doesn’t share much of his personal life on social media, he has frequently spoken about his family and their close bond in the past.
Last year he told how he owes his success to father Jermaine: ‘Without my father I probably wouldn’t be a footballer.
“He spent countless hours with me every night and worked with me to make me a professional football player. And yes, I try to pay him back as much as possible.’
Dad Jermaine, who repairs dental equipment for a living, was a self-styled pub football legend who spotted his son’s talent when he was about four and quickly instilled in him a love of the game.
In a 2022 interview, Palmer talked about how his first memories were about football.
He said of his daily trips to the park with his father: “We did that every day, regardless of the weather – and my father’s family is from St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. He hates going outside in the cold. But he would still do it for me.”
Palmer pulled off his trademark celebration after scoring the penalty to open the scoring against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Palmer took penalties at the time with regular taker and captain Harry Kane on the bench
He put his effort into the bottom right corner of the goal to give the hosts the lead in the second half
He also remembered his father taking him to watch him play for his Sunday League team.
He said: ‘He used to put me on the bag of balls on the touchline, wrapped in one of his raincoats. I would just take it all in: the crunching tackles, the shouting, the arguing.
“Dad hasn’t played since he hurt his knee, and I can’t remember any specific games, but he’ll tell you how good he was!
‘He fixes dental equipment as his real job, but to listen to him you’d think he’d had a 20-year career in the Premier League!’
The Chelsea man and his sister are believed to have a close bond, with the two teaming up for one of Palmer’s most famous exploits off the pitch: a viral video on TikTok.
He sang along to a Vybz Kartel song, with the video becoming a signature symbol of celebration, posted by excited fans every time Palmer scores or puts in a good performance.
In the video, Palmer is shown performing a series of moves while singing along to the song Clarks, sung in Jamaican patois, is a tribute to the sensible shoe brand.
Palmer’s sister Hallie has a fashion degree and has already set up her own brand making oversized hair ribbons and scrunchies for women
The video also shows one of Palmer’s colorful football boots, which features the English flag of St. George next to the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis.
It was commissioned by his sister Hallie, who, while studying fashion, set up her own brand that made oversized hair ribbons and scrunchies for women.
Asked about the video after his call-up for England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta last year, Palmer said: ‘My sister and I were at home one day and there was a TikTok trend going on.
‘People were singing songs and stuff and my sister said, “Come and sing this song”, so I thought, “Um… okay, we’ll do it”.’
