Cole Palmer has cleared the air—literally and figuratively—about his choice to wear a face mask while traveling with Chelsea. The young midfielder was seen donning the disposable cover as the team arrived in the United States for the Club World Cup.Having just wrapped up international duty with England, Palmer flew straight to Philadelphia to join Chelsea at their pre-tournament base. The squad soon headed to Atlanta to face Los Angeles FC in their opening match, which they won 2-0 in front of a sparse crowd of 22,000 at the massive Mercedes-Benz Arena.Samba’s back — and Chelsea couldn’t keep up with Flamengo’s dance!Despite the win, attention briefly shifted away from Palmer’s on-pitch impact to his travel habits. His masked appearance sparked questions, with some wondering if it was health-related—or perhaps a playful statement.But Palmer quickly put the speculation to rest. “It weren’t a joke, I just don’t like the smell of planes,” he explained. “So that’s why I wear a mask. When I travel, I feel like the smells and that, I just don’t like them. Stuff like (the air-conditioning), so that’s why I wear masks, not anything else.”Cole Palmer explains why he was pictured wearing a mask on the flight over to the Club World Cup:“I don’t like the smell of planes!” 😂 pic.twitter.com/gHl3q49f8R— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) June 19, 2025 Interestingly, not even his teammates knew the real reason. Enzo Fernandez had previously joked that it might be for fun, but as Palmer admitted, he “hadn’t told” him the truth behind it.##NAJAVA_MECA_8986514##
