What Does Cole Palmer’s Celebration Mean?

Cole Palmer's famous "shiver" celebration gives a nod to the word "Cold". In the modern world, the word cold can actually mean for someone to be very good at something, whilst being incredibly stoic and composed. Palmer's chilled-out personality and exceptional footballing talent led him to being tagged as "Cold Palmer", which led to his iconic celebration - shivering in front of fans, after goals.

However, the celebration was somebody else's first, with Aston Villa star and England teammate of Palmer's Morgan Rogers utilising the celebration in England youth setups. Rogers has claimed on a few occasions that Palmer stole the celebration from him.

Why Does Cole Palmer Shiver In Celebrations

Ice in the veins. Cool, calm and collected. Cold Palmer. All of the above apply to Chelsea’s magnificently talented talisman Cole Palmer, who has taken the Premier League by storm since leaving Manchester City for the London club in the summer of 2023.

Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Palmer has contributed more goals than any other Chelsea player, has broken into the England set up, and can even boast a goal in a European Championship Final, after equalising against Spain last summer.

Cole Palmer to Chelsea, here we go! Agreement in principle reached with Manchester City on £40m deal plus £5m add-ons 🚨🔵 #CFC

Exclusive news revealed earlier today then quick resolution between clubs and green light from Palmer.

Medical tests to be booked soon. pic.twitter.com/7SvIqgYyKL
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 30, 2023

Few players have received more media attention than Palmer over the last couple of years, and for good reason - outrageously skillful, a brilliant finisher, and with a unique personality, there is no one in the Premier League quite like the Mancunian.

His laid-back, chilled out attitude has caught the imagination of the younger generation of football fans, with many wishing to be as relaxed and unphased as Palmer. But if there is one thing the midfielder is universally known for, it is his celebration.

No matter how he scores, whether it is a tap-in or a 30 yard free kick into the top corner, Palmer will always celebrate the same way - he will cross his arms and grab the opposite shoulder, and shiver.

The finish. 😮‍💨
The celebration. 🥶

Cole Palmer's first goal of the 2024/25 season! pic.twitter.com/KuRcSvCALS
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 28, 2024

The move derives from the word cold, which in recent years has taken on a new meaning. To be "cold" at something is to be exceptionally good at it, and Palmer is an exceptional footballer. It seems only right he has a celebration befitting of his talents.

The gesture has made huge waves - players across the planet, as well as athletes from other sports have adopted it as their own, and social media platforms such as Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok are awash with impersonations and references to it.

Ice in his veins but bringing heat to the track 🥶

Letsile Tebogo dropped the Cole Palmer celebration before storming home to win the men’s 200m final to become Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist 🥇 pic.twitter.com/4XLwk7eXQ5
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 9, 2024

How Did Cole Palmer’s Celebration Start?

Upon arrival at Chelsea, Palmer hadn’t played enough senior football to have come up with his own distinctive celebration.

Though he made a rapid start to life in West London, goals in the opening couple of months of his spell were met with nonchalant shrugs and arms out celebrations - hardly anything special, and nothing fans hadn’t seen before.

The turning point for Palmer was when Chelsea travelled to Luton Town in December 2023. He opened the scoring with a powerful effort into the far corner after 12 minutes, and caught for the first time on camera, shivered in the direction of the Chelsea fans.

His second goal, a magnificent solo goal which saw him sit down the goalkeeper as well as a defender, was followed with the same celebration. Noni Madueke, who also scored in the game, was asked about Palmer’s new celebration in his post-match interview, and had a simple, but clever answer.

“That’s why they call him Cold Palmer innit.”

🎥 Noni Madueke: “That’s why they call him Cold Palmer innit” (via @footballontnt)

Ice cold 🧊 pic.twitter.com/NoR571tLot
— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) December 30, 2023

And it stuck. Since that cold December day, all of Palmer’s goals, whether at club level or for England, have been shortly followed by the move - and given how many goals he was scoring, those who didn’t catch it the first or second time of asking would see it eventually, increasing the celebration’s appeal on social media.

Oddly enough, Palmer didn’t come up with the celebration himself. It later transpired that he had nicked it from his ex-Man City youth teammate and friend Morgan Rogers, who would use the shiver when he found the net in any youth game.

Though it was never his own celebration to begin with, Palmer had the advantage of becoming a prominent Premier League star before Rogers, who would seal a move to Aston Villa in January 2024.

What is the origin of Cole Palmer's cold celebration? 🥶 pic.twitter.com/AzEZAX6KiF
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 17, 2024

That two month gap between Palmer adopting the celebration and Rogers making his Premier League debut were crucial, as that time allowed Palmer to make the celebration his own. Even now, with the information that it is Rogers’ party piece, the move is still colloquially referred to as the Cold Palmer celebration.