Cole Palmer has successfully trademarked the nickname ‘Cold Palmer’—his application to do so having been accepted by the UK's Intellectual Property Office.
The 23-year-old is one of world football’s best attacking midfielders, following a meteoric rise at Chelsea, but he’s also established himself as a cultural figure as a result of an iconic celebration that went viral during a particularly rich vein of form.
The broad outline of Palmer’s trademark, valid until 2034 as it stands, is that no other athlete can use that specific term for commercial purposes without his permission. He will now also be able to launch a range of products, per The Athletic, that ranges from toys and food snacks to drones and bath salts—quite the variety.
What follows is likely to be the trademarking of his ‘ice-cold’ celebration, where he crosses and rubs his arms, posing as if he was shivering—that process is already underway.
Three years ago, Palmer was a complete stranger from the spotlight, now he’s one of the most talked about players in the game.
The Origins of Cold Palmer
Two players played a key role in the birth of ‘Cold Palmer’. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Arsenal’s Noni Madueke.
On Dec. 30, 2023, Palmer scored a brace in Chelsea’s visit to Luton Town, the second of which was arguably the best goal of his career to date. After both goals, Palmer debuted his now illustrious celebration.
The Blues went on to defeat Luton and following the match, Madueke, then a Chelsea player, was interviewed alongside Palmer, The latter was asked about his brilliant second goal, and after he gave a quick explanation, Madueke had the perfect intervention and the rest is history.
“That’s why they call him Cold Palmer innit,” Madueke told TNT Sports.
"That's why they call him 'Cold Palmer' innit?" 😅
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 30, 2023
Noni Madueke is all of us after watching back Cole Palmer's brilliant goal 🥶 pic.twitter.com/7wQ1g52XbV
Madueke’s response prompted the reporter to mention Palmer’s shivering celebration and the then 21-year-old credited his fellow Manchester City academy teammate Rogers for the inspiration.
“My boy did one of Middlesbrough, Morgs [Rogers]. So, yeah, I told him I’ll do it,” Palmer said.
Rogers debuted the celebration a week prior when he scored the match-winner for Middlesbrough against West Bromwich Albion during his time in the Championship. Now at Aston Villa, he has continued to use it, but it’s unquestionably become Palmer’s celebration.
Palmer netted 27 goals for Chelsea across all competitions in 2023–24. That summer, he scored England’s equaliser against Spain in the final of Euro 2024, unveiling his celebration on the international stage.
Another 18 goals with the Blues in 2024–25, including a brace against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, only skyrocketed ‘Cold Palmer’ into one of the most recognized players in world football currently,
The Cultural Impact of Cole Palmer
The Cole Palmer influence. 🥶#CFC | #CHEWOL pic.twitter.com/ZlN5Yp8jdN
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 20, 2025
Palmer’s performances on the pitch over the past two years have seen him become a star, his personality and ‘aura’ have contributed to him becoming a global icon.
His talent with the ball is aided by natural charisma. Despite him being far from extroverted, Palmer is unapologetically himself, nonchalant and authentic. Simply put, ‘Cold Palmer’ is ‘cool’.
Palmer has become a role-model for young football fans all over the world. After winning the Club World Cup, Palmer took a trip to St. Kitts and Nevis, where his grandfather was born. His worldwide influence was on full display there, as he was greeted by the country‘s Prime Minister and kids flocked in numbers to be near their hero.
Cole Palmer took a little trip back to his roots in St Kitts after Chelsea's Club World Cup final win 💫 pic.twitter.com/lj2Dc4UNzU
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 17, 2025
But Palmer’s influence has transcended football. After Palmer revealed that if he was a rapper he’d be called ‘Iceman’, global superstar rapper Drake acknowledged Palmer by uploading that clip to social media. Drake would later release an album titled Iceman.
‘Cold Palmer’ has become a cultural phenom and plenty of athletes have joined the fun.
Athletes That Have Replicated Palmer’s Celebration
Gleyber Torres of the @Yankees brought the Cold Palmer celly to the World Series ⚾️🥶 pic.twitter.com/M41lSzmmxC
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) October 30, 2024
PSG’s Désiré Doué scored the game-winning penalty in the shootout against Liverpool in the 2024–25 Champions League round of 16. The young Frenchman hit Palmer’s celebration after his penalty at Anfield.
A number of other footballers including Palmer’s Chelsea teammate Estêvão, have replicated his celebration. But it’s not just football players that have pulled-out the ‘ice-cold’ celebration, it expands to athletes across sports all over the world.
It must be said that in the U.S. sports, NBA star Trae Young introduced the iconic celebration long before Palmer even debuted it himself. However, the celebration has been elevated since Palmer’s emergence and more and more athletes have replicated it.
NFL standout wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who popularised the ‘Griddy’ dance after scoring touchdowns, incorporated Palmer’s celebration to his own in a collaboration between leagues that highlighted two young stars.
New York Yankees MLB
Palmer’s celebration has even made it to professional darts. St. Kitts and Nevis native Rashad Sweeting hit the celebration after nailing his first 180 score in the 2024 PDC World Championship.
The ‘ice-cold’ has become one of the most famous celebrations all over the world, but no athlete is more attached to it than ‘Cold Palmer’.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Cold Palmer’—The Cultural Rise of Chelsea’s Superstar After Name Trademark.
