Cole Palmer has urged England to “finish the job” and change their lives forever by winning their Euro 2024 final against Spain on Sunday.
The Three Lions secured their place in a second successive Euro final with a thrilling 2-1 semi-final win over the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Palmer came on as a substitute for Dortmund and provided the assist for Ollie Watkins’ winning goal in the 90th minute.
Finish. Cheers. Congratulations.
pic.twitter.com/y8S6lmrcOf
— England (@England) July 11, 2024
Gareth Southgate’s men’s team face a fateful encounter in Berlin on Sunday as they look to win their first major men’s tournament since 1966.
“Everyone is excited,” Chelsea midfielder Palmer told the England YouTube channel. “There was music playing on the bus last night, [in the] Everyone was having a good time in the locker room.
“But obviously it’s a short turnaround and it’s a huge, huge game that changes our lives, our family’s lives and makes everyone proud. That’s what we’re trying to do.
“I think if you’ve come this far, you have to finish it.
“It’s great to be in the finals, and you have to enjoy that moment. There aren’t many moments you can enjoy.
“But, no, everyone wants to win.”
Palmer will be making his first senior international appearance but was part of the team that beat La Roja to win the European Under-21 Championship 12 months ago.
And with England now back on track after a slow start to the tournament this summer, the 22-year-old is confident the senior team can emulate the achievements of their younger players.
“We didn’t play our best in the first few games and everyone knew that,” Palmer added.
“But now as the tournament progresses, especially yesterday, I think we played our best game of the tournament and that’s what we want to do in the second half.
“It’s incredible. We played against England and Spain in the U-21 final last year.
“That was a huge game, so I can’t even imagine.”
Palmer also praised manager Southgate and the positive atmosphere he has created within the group.
One more.
pic.twitter.com/Zp0dGR4L6x
— England (@England) July 11, 2024
“I think he created the unity that all the players had,” he added.
“It was our first tournament and we could see how close the players were.
“The time he invests in his players is time that makes us better players and invests in the game.”
