Cole Palmer switched from No. 20 to No. 10 for Chelsea to emulate his idols Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney. Palmer debuted the jersey in Monday\'s 2-0 win in the Club World Cup over LAFC.
\"Messi, the big one, Rooney and players like that,\" said Palmer. \"It\'s just an iconic number. I wore No. 10 all my life growing up and I just like the number.\"
Eden Hazard, Joe Cole and Willian wore No. 10 for Chelsea, while it was most recently worn by Mykhailo Mudryk. Mudryk is facing a four-year suspension on a doping charge.
Palmer also played down any suggestions of a disagreement with head coach Enzo Maresca over Chelsea\'s style of play.
\"We had a joke about it,\" said Palmer. \"My comments weren\'t towards the manager or anything. It was just a personal thing. I felt like in the game, I was maybe being a bit safe. So that\'s where the comment came from.
\"I wanted to get the ball and try something different than previously. Obviously you can\'t take the p--- and do like whatever you want and stuff, but I feel like he [Maresca] still gives you a little bit of room to try and see what I can do.\"
Via James Olley/ESPN