It has been confirmed that Cole Palmer has finished in the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or rankings, demonstrating a remarkable rise from his 25th-place finish this time last year.
The 23-year-old guided Chelsea back to the Champions League for the first time since 2023, scoring 15 goals and providing nine assists in the league.
More importantly, the former Manchester City man played a starring role in the Blues' Club World Cup triumph in the United States this summer.
Palmer scored twice and set up Joao Pedro in the first half during a masterful display that put European champions Paris Saint-Germain to the sword.
The midfielder represents Britain's highest rank in the award this year, beating Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.
Of those who have made the list for the second consecutive year, Palmer's international teammate Bellingham marks the biggest regression.
Cole Palmer is in the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or for the first time in his career. He was 25th in the last last year
| GETTYThe 22-year-old finished third at last season's event after playing a major role in Real Madrid's record-extending 15th Champions League title, beating former club Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Bellingham scored 23 goals in his maiden campaign for the Spanish giants after his £100million move from Germany.
Jude Bellingham finished third last year, but saw himself fall to 23rd in the rankings this time around
|GETTY
Last season, the former Birmingham City star scored just nine times in the league, as Madrid endured a rare campaign without a trophy, which will undoubtedly be a major reason for his significant fall in rankings.
Bellingham had also been playing through a shoulder injury, finally getting surgery over the summer and returning to action for Los Blancos this weekend during their 2-0 victory over Espanyol.
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Harry Kane finished 13th after winning the first league title of his career
| REUTERSKane finished 13th in the prestigious award this year, after yet another stellar campaign at Bayern Munich that saw him lift the Bundesliga title while claiming top scorer in the league for the second consecutive campaign.
The 32-year-old scored 41 goals last term, including 26 in the league. He has started this season as he left off, already finding the back of the net eight times following his ninth hat-trick in Bayern Munich red since his £100m move from Tottenham.
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McTominay entered the list at 18th, representing what has been a remarkable 12 months for the English-born Scotland international.
The 28-year-old won the Serie A with Napoli last season, bagging 12 league goals and the Player of the Season accolade.
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Scott McTominay marked a superb debut campaign with Napoli with an 18th-place finish in the Ballon d'Or
|GETTY
His campaign was bookended with a tremendous scissor-kick goal on the final day of the season to secure the league title for Antonio Conte's side.
Declan Rice was the final entrant for the Britain, finishing 27th. He finished 26th last year and endured a terrific campaign at Arsenal, with a particular highlight his two special free-kick goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, who finished 11th and 21st last year, did not make the list this time round.
The award is decided by a host of international journalists who give out points to their perceived top 10 players in the world for that season, handing 15 points to first-place and one point to 10th.
It is merited on three main criteria: individual performances, team achievements and fair play.
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