Cole Palmer made some intriguing choices when asked to identify his ideal five-a-side team.
Though the England international has struggled for goals throughout 2025, Palmer has established himself as a star for Chelsea since coming from Manchester City in 2023.
As part of his media duties with the Blues, Palmer recently spoke with the Chelsea TikTok account and, according to United in Focus, put together his dream five-a-side team, and the attacking midfielder, in addition to selecting some of the all-time greats, made one surprising suggestion.
Palmer Forms His Dream 5-A-Side Team.
Palmer began by picking his custodian, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, who, after a three-year loan with Atletico Madrid, established himself as Chelsea’s first choice for the next four years before joining his current club in 2018.
The Manchester City youth product then stated:
“Messi, Neymar, Ravel [Morrison] and me.”
Ravel Morrison was the most obvious of Palmer’s choices. Morrison, a Manchester United youth system product, was regarded as one of his generation’s most promising prospects, but he struggled with disciplinary troubles throughout his career, playing for a variety of teams after departing Old Trafford in 2012. This, however, does not diminish Morrison’s inherent ability, which he presently possesses while playing for Precision in the UAE.
Along with Morrison, there are names that would be expected on most players’ five-a-side squads. Palmer chose Neymar and Lionel Messi as the other two players on his team after, of course, including himself.
For many, Messi is the greatest player of all time. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been with Inter Miami since 2023, spent nearly two decades with Barcelona’s first squad, winning countless honours, including four Champions League titles.
The Argentine joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and while his performance did not match the outrageous standards he set with Barcelona, Messi did win several domestic trophies, including two consecutive Ligue 1 titles, prior to his departure to the United States.
Between 2013 and 2017, Messi was joined by Neymar, another athlete highlighted by Palmer. The Brazilian was a key player in Barcelona’s 2014/15 European triple success and was generally admired for his flair and dynamism during his time in Catalonia.
In an endeavour to captain his own club, Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for a world record cost. Unfortunately, the winger struggled with injuries, limiting his appearances for the Parisians. He left the club the same year as Messi, spending two more years with his former teammate from 2021 to 2023.
To be named to such a team, let alone to be placed alongside such excellent athletes, demonstrates Palmer’s high admiration for Morrison. If Morrison had been more consistent in his early days as a player, he could have had a more memorable career given his innate talent.
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