If you want a proper perspective on England’s progress at the Euros, listen to Cole Palmer.
When the Chelsea mainstay was 12 years old, he flew to Brazil to visit his grandfather and watch Brazil play in the 2014 World Cup.
But the plan had a flaw.
Palmer arrived in Rio de Janeiro a week after the tournament began, but Roy Hodgson’s England had already been eliminated.
He said: “I went to Brazil for the World Cup. My grandfather Gary lives in Brazil.”
“I didn’t watch any of the England games, they had already been eliminated by the time I got there.
“But it was fantastic. I went to watch the Belgium vs Russia game at the Maracana Stadium.
“My grandfather lived in Rio. He rented an apartment there. He recently moved there. He didn’t like the weather in Manchester so he moved to Brazil. Now he speaks Portuguese fluently.”
Ten years later, at least England finished top of their Euros group.
And after a very promising performance as a reserve in the goalless draw with Slovenia, there are calls for Palmer to be included in the starting line-up for tomorrow’s round of 16 tie against Slovakia.
England players rated: Southgate’s Gallagher experiment suffers miserable defeat against Slovenia
England put in another disappointing performance but still managed to top Group C.
England dominated the ball but Southgate will have many questions to answer after a third consecutive uninspiring game.
SunSport’s Tom Barclay rates the England players.
Jordan Pickford – 6
He was mostly a spectator as England dominated the ball, and asked from the touchline if Denmark had scored during the second-half break.
Kieran Trippier – 6
The only advantage of a right-footed player playing left-back is the ability to deliver inswinging crosses and one of those should have been headed home by Conor Gallagher just before half-time.
Mark Guehi – 7
Cruyff looked confident early on after his excellent performances against Serbia and Denmark and, apart from one loose pass, was in good form again.
John Stones – 6
He was one of the players whose passes were off target, not bad but, like the others, far from the results he has shown at club level.
Kyle Walker – 5
Playing very safely and barely pushing forward, they were lucky to have Pickford react with a strong pass back, and the slicing cross after the break showed just how poor his form was.
Conor Gallagher – 4
He was introduced after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s midfield experiment ended, but he struggled, especially in possession of the ball, and was replaced by Kobe Mainu at half-time.
Declan Rice – 7
He had promised his team a “brave” performance but he was the only one who actually delivered, and he was also very good without the ball, much better than he was against Denmark.
Phil Foden – 7
He was by far the most active of England’s attacking four and came close to scoring with some fierce free-kicks, but his booking for protests showed England’s frustration.
Jude Bellingham – 5
He and Harry Kane got in each other’s way at times and he was often drifted wide to the left when Phil Foden moved centrally, which looked very frustrating.
Bukayo Saka – 6
He had a goal in the 20th minute but it was ruled out for offside in front of the goal, and although he was OK, he was substituted again at the break, presumably due to fitness concerns.
Harry Kane – 6
He claims to be 100% fit, and maybe he is, but what is 100% certain is that he has not been as effective in this tournament as he normally is for England, although he did play slightly better in this game.
Replacement
Kobe Mainu (substitute for Gallagher at half-time) – 7
He came on and made a difference, made England play more aggressive and has a more confident touch than Gallagher.
Cole Palmer (replaces Bukayo Saka at number 71) – 7
He finally made an appearance in this tournament and his deft pass to Mainu showed what he’s capable of.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Kieran Trippier, 84th minute) – 6
He came on at right-back for the final few minutes, with Walker coming in at left-back.
Anthony Gordon (replaces Phil Foden at no.88) – 6
Like Palmer, he played at the Euros but came too late to make an impact.
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The 22-year-old Palmer has been one of the big stories this season, the youngster brave enough to leave Manchester City after manager Pep Guardiola failed to guarantee him enough playing time.
He then enjoyed a spectacular spell at Stamford Bridge, scoring 25 goals in his new home and leading Chelsea to such an impressive performance that manager Mauricio Pochettino challenged the rest of his squad to prove they were “not Cole Palmer FC”.
Unintentionally, Palmer made a great interview subject.
He acts as if he doesn’t understand why a group of middle-aged men are gathering around him asking questions, but he improvises and gives pointed speeches, almost as if he’s acting.
He’s also surprisingly honest – just look at his reaction to Pochettino’s departure: “We had a great relationship… I was disappointed when he left.”
When asked if he felt ready to start for England at the tournament, he replied: “Personally I do but it’s not up to me. I’m happy to see people on social media saying I should start but it’s not up to them, is it?”
And about moving to the South, he said: “Londoners are fickle. I love London but it’s very different.”
He was also questioned about claims that Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic loves baked beans so much that he has been nicknamed “Beans”.
Palmer replied: “No, nobody calls me Bean,” while fellow Manchester native Coby Mainoo, 19, added: “I eat beetroot on everything. I eat beetroot for breakfast, dinner and tea.”
Asked if he started out as a striker, Palmer drew laughter when he admitted he had initially played at left-back, a position that had been an issue for England at this tournament.
“I’m not saying I’d be playing there now,” he is quick to interject, “That was only with the Under-10s team. I haven’t played at left-back since then.”
Despite his long association with City, Palmer grew up as a Manchester United fan, worshipping Wayne Rooney.
Says Palmer: “If my mom said, ‘Do this. Rooney does that,’ I would do it.”
It’s refreshing to hear a player speak so naturally.
Speaking to Palmer, it’s tempting to believe he should be starting for England.
After two lackluster draws against Denmark and Slovenia, manager Gareth Southgate needs a player who is not fazed by anything.
A player who performed brilliantly in his first season as a Premier League regular.
The only question Palmer refuses to answer is whether Guardiola would have tried to keep him at City. He shrugs, grins, pauses and says: “Next question.”
But Palmer had nothing but praise for Pochettino, saying: “He’s probably the main reason I’m here because any other manager wouldn’t have given me the freedom and the opportunities I had at Chelsea.”
But Pochettino’s successor, Enzo Maresca, will also be a familiar face to Palmer, having coached him at City’s Under-21 side and also worked as Guardiola’s assistant with the first team.
In fact, Maresca was the first coach to use Palmer on the right wing.
Even if he doesn’t start the game, there is a good chance he will feature in the final penalty shootout, given that he has scored all nine of his penalties for Chelsea and one for England.
Palmer and fellow penalty expert Ivan Toney have discussed the possibility of cooling off in the final minute of extra time to take the shootout penalty.
He admitted: “Ivan and I were talking about this the other day and, yeah, I’d go and have a drink.”
You’d be very surprised if he missed it.