Cole Palmer has spent the opening weeks of the season tormenting defenders. On Tuesday afternoon, he managed to irritate a different kind of opponent: a video game publisher.
The 24-year-old Chelsea playmaker casually logged onto Twitch and fired up EA Sports FC 27, treating thousands of viewers to an early look at one of the most tightly guarded releases in sport gaming. No embargo, no sponsor graphics, no official tie-in. Just Palmer, his controller and a game that technically wasn’t supposed to be seen.
For more than an hour he ripped open Ultimate Team packs, jumped into matches and chatted away, blissfully ahead of schedule. The global launch is set for September 25, with early access not due until September 18, but Palmer’s stream rolled on, drawing numbers and attention. Eventually, the wrong kind.
The developers noticed. The broadcast vanished mid-show, cut off in full flow, and his Twitch channel was swiftly scrubbed of every clip and highlight featuring EA Sports FC 27 after a copyright complaint. One moment, Palmer was laughing at his virtual card. The next, the screen went dark.
Before the plug was pulled, the situation had already veered into farce. EA Sports FC’s official account dropped into the chat and delivered a light-hearted dressing-down that every viewer could see.
“Errr Cole, weren't we going to do this a bit later? We'll be live at 6pm UK!” came the message.
The warning arrived, but the damage – and the content – was done.
Palmer didn’t sulk. Once the ban landed, he simply shifted platforms. On Instagram, the England international posted a tongue-in-cheek plea, tagging both Twitch and EA: “I was only giving the people what they wanted... unban me pls.” On another social channel, reacting to a post about his suspension, he added a brief promise: “We back soon.”
If the publishers weren’t thrilled with his timing, Palmer was even less impressed with his in-game self.
During the ill-fated stream, he discovered his overall rating had dropped from 87 to 85. The reaction was instant. “I need a word with EA. They took two ratings off me,” he complained. “I had one leg for ten months last season, what do you want me to do?”
The numbers kept winding him up. His pace rating, listed at 76, sparked another dig when he compared it to Chelsea team-mate Morgan Rogers. “76 pace? I don't know how he's got more pace than me but, EA sometimes, man, they're a bit crazy.”
Behind the jokes sits a more serious story. Palmer’s quip about “one leg” is rooted in a deeply frustrating year. Last season he spent long spells on the sidelines, battling a groin problem and a fractured toe that stripped away rhythm and sharpness just as Chelsea were trying to build something more coherent.
On the club’s pre-season tour in Sydney, he admitted he had pushed too hard, too soon. “The first few months, with me being injured, I just wanted to go out and play, which I probably shouldn't have done,” he said. “Obviously, I couldn't play how I wanted to play. It was a bad season, personally, with injuries and stuff, but I feel good now. The seven weeks obviously helped. I'm ready to go again.”
He went to unusual lengths to sort it out. “I went to Sweden or Denmark, one of those countries, to see a doctor,” he revealed. “We did speak about (surgery), but I didn't end up getting it.”
Those trips, the rehab, the patience – they’re paying off. With his fitness issues apparently under control, Palmer has exploded into the new campaign. Alongside Rogers, he has already chalked up four goal contributions in the Premier League, the pair rapidly becoming central figures in Chelsea’s attacking structure and mood.
On the pitch, Palmer looks liberated again. Off it, he has just discovered that the modern footballer’s reach comes with a different kind of scrutiny. A stray stream, an embargo broken, a copyright strike, a ban.
For now, he waits to discover whether Twitch will restore his channel to full strength and whether EA will welcome him back into the fold. Chelsea, though, will care only about where his focus lands next. With the Blues building early momentum in the Premier League and Carabao Cup, they need Palmer’s form far more than they need his virtual rating.
