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Joe Cole

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Joe Cole
Personal information
Full name Joseph John Cole
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 10
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:36, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Joseph John "Joe" Cole (born November 8, 1981 in Romford, London Borough of Havering) is a professional footballer who plays for Chelsea of the English Premier League and the England national team.

Early life

Cole was born in Romford in Greater London and lived there until he moved to Camden at the age of seven. He was educated at St. Mary's Primary School in Marylebone along with brother Jarrod Cole, who is a rising rugby star, Haverstock Hill school in Camden and St. Aloysius RC College in North London. The family home in recent years was in Romford.

West Ham

A child prodigy who received national media attention as a schoolboy and a product of the famed West Ham United youth system, Cole was long touted as the hottest prospect in English football with Manchester United reportedly offering to pay £10 million for his services as a 16-year-old. Playing in a mould similar to former England favourite Paul Gascoigne, he quickly progressed through the West Ham ranks before making his first-team debut at the age of 17. In 1999 Cole was also part of West Ham's victorious Youth Cup winning squad, defeating Coventry City 9-0 in the final. In January 2003 Glenn Roeder, then West Ham United manager gave Cole the club captain's armband at the age of 21. Sadly, for Cole and for West Ham United, the club was relegated at the end of that season from the Premiership with the highest points total ever recorded, 42.

Chelsea

2003-2004

In 2003, Cole moved to Chelsea as part of Roman Abramovich's 'Russian Revolution' for £6,600,000 with a view to establishing himself in the England national team. However, due to the stiff competition for places at the club, he initially struggled to hold down a place in the team for both Chelsea and England under Claudio Ranieri.

According to Cole, Ranieri had wanted to send him to Russia on loan to CSKA Moscow just days after finalizing his transfer. Cole refused to move and stayed in Chelsea, but figured irregularly throughout the first half of season 2003-04 and was reduced to a peripheral figure after Ranieri signed Scott Parker in January 2004.

2004-2005

Cole had long been praised for his technical skills and creativity but criticised for his lack of all-round contribution to the team. After the arrival of new Chelsea manager José Mourinho in 2004, Cole initially continued to struggle, though he soon found himself making more appearances than he did during Ranieri's stewardship.

In January 2005, Cole was publicly criticised by Mourinho after scoring the winner against Liverpool for neglecting his defensive duties. Mourinho famously described Cole as a player 'with two faces', with one 'face' that he liked (Cole's vision and technical ability) and another 'face' that he did not (Cole's lack of appetite for defensive duties). Mourinho also substituted Cole with Portuguese midfielder Tiago Cardoso Mendes shortly after Cole's goal, and explained later that it was because "after Cole scored, the game ended for him. We were playing with ten men afterwards because Cole stopped running, stopped playing."

Cole responded positively to this and took advantage of injuries to other players (most notably Arjen Robben) to become one of the stars of Chelsea's Premiership title winning team in 2004-05. He also won a starting place in the England team on the left side of midfield, which England had struggled to fill adequately for several years. Cole's form saw him hit a run of goals towards the end of the season, and his goal against Norwich (blasted in from 22 yards off his weaker left foot) was voted in the top ten goals of the season in the Premier League for 2004-05. Cole scored 10 goals for Chelsea in 2004-05, and ended the season with the first of his two FA Premier League champions' medals.

2005-2006

At Chelsea, the strong competition for places meant that he struggled to hold a first team role, with Arjen Robben and new arrival Shaun Wright-Phillips providing stiff competition. In the first half of the 2005-06 season Cole enhanced his reputation considerably, moved up the Chelsea pecking order ahead of Wright-Phillips and Duff, and was named in the PFA's team of the season. His status was such that by March 2006, he was considered Chelsea's most creative player by many pundits, and his omission from the starting lineup by Mourinho, who was testing a narrower 'midfield diamond' approach, was held up as the principal cause of Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in the semi-finals of the 2006 FA Cup competition.Joe Cole scored important goals,against Liverpool at Anfield,Arsenal at Highbury and against Manchester United at home by evading Ferdinand and Vidic. During the 2005-06 season, Cole extended his contract with Chelsea for another 4 seasons.

2006-2007

Cole missed the first three months of Chelsea's season and England's first four Euro 2008 qualifiers after sustaining an injury to his right knee in Chelsea's pre-season tour of America, but made his return to first-team action on 14 October 2006, coming on as a second-half substitute in Chelsea's 1-0 victory at Reading. Cole scored his first goal of the 2006-07 season against Blackburn Rovers in a 2 goal win in the third round of the Carling Cup.

However, in January 2007, Cole underwent surgery for a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his foot he suffered in late 2006. Although he stated in a January 30th interview on the Chelsea FC website that he didn't want to give a timetable for his return, club doctor Bryan English stated on February 24, 2007 that Cole would return to play at the end of March or beginning of April.

Although not fully fit, Cole made his return for Chelsea in the first leg of Chelsea's 1-1 draw in a 2006-07 UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Valencia at Stamford Bridge. Cole contributed hugely to Chelsea's 2-1 victory in the second leg and 3-2 victory on aggregate. Cole started Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final against Blackburn, which Chelsea won 2-1 after extra-time, and made substitute appearances against Tottenham and West Ham. In April 2007, Cole scored the only goal in Chelsea's defeat of Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions' League semi-final, at Stamford Bridge, giving Chelsea an advantage going into the away leg, which they lost 1-0 and crashed out of the Champions League on penalties.


Honours

National Team

Joe Cole was a member of England's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, but did not start any games and only made one substitute appearance off the bench.

He was also a squad member at Euro 2004, but did not play.

Doubts have been expressed over his ability to play in the left wing position for the England national side, with some calling for natural left-footer Stewart Downing and even pacy teenager Theo Walcott to be given a chance. However, Cole played in the England side throughout 2005 and early 2006, competing in internationals against Denmark, Northern Ireland, and Argentina.

His displays in England's friendlies leading up to the 2006 World Cup enhanced his reputation ahead of the summer's finals in Germany. In May 2006 he was confirmed in the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, ahead of Chelsea teammate Shaun Wright-Phillips. He played on the left-side of midfield in England's opening game against Paraguay on June 10 2006.

On June 20, 2006, England drew with Sweden, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with a final score of 2-2. Cole scored a spectacular volley in the 34th minute of the match and got an assist in the 85th when he sent in a ball to Steven Gerrard. At the end of the match, Budweiser announced that Cole received the Man of the Match. The Swedish football fans congratulated England for having such a valuable player in the tournament. Cole lined up for the England squad for the first time since the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the 1-1 friendly draw against the Netherlands, providing an assist for Wayne Rooney from a cross. After another injury, he returned to start the friendly against Brazil at Wembley Stadium on 1 June.

Cole scored his seventh goal for England in June 2007, in their European Championship qualifier, away to Estonia.

Miscellaneous

In January 2006 Cole received publicity as the loser in a drunken bustup over Page 3 Girl Keeley Hazell, triggered when another admirer saw the two "getting on well [and] copped the right hump about it."[1] (NSFW)

He is engaged to fitness instructor Carly Zucker. The couple live in Cole's £5 million home in Cobham, Surrey.[citation needed] According to close friends, Cole is expected to marry her in summer next year. A rumour had it that during one weekend he had proposed to her with a £50,000 wedding ring.

Cole is a big fan of cars. He currently owns a Ferrari Enzo and has owned various luxury sedans including a Mercedes S-Class.[citation needed]

He has recently become a patron of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.[2]

Towards the end of the 2005-06 season, Cole was nominated by then England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson to be named Footballer of the Year.[citation needed]

Cole's 30-yard volley against Sweden in the 2006 World Cup was voted goal of the tournament in many programmes featuring World Cup goals.[citation needed]

Cole bought his father a small shop in Camden Town's Arlington Road for £250,000 and paid off his fathers debts to allow him to restart his minicab service. Months later it was closed down and is now a ticket office, which was opened by Cole's friend.[citation needed]

Joe Cole is also an avid musician, playing the bass guitar in his free time.

He says about himself : "I was always known as the kid who always had a ball at his feet."

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]


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