Joe Cole (footballer)
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Joe Cole (born November 8, 1981) is an English international footballer who plays for Chelsea of the Premiership. He is a right-footed midfielder with an avowed preference for a central position but has also enjoyed success playing on the left.
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 (a position now generally regarded as being held by Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney). 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. Whilst his sublime touch and dribbling prowess won him many plaudits (and several England caps), his career stagnated in his last few years at the club, especially after West Ham parted company with manager Harry Redknapp.
In 2003, Cole move to Chelsea as part of Roman Abramovich's revolution for a rumoured seven million, 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. He was a squad member at Euro 2004, but did not play.
Cole had long been praised for his techical skills and creativity but criticised for his lack of all round contribution to the team and the inadequacy of his end product. After the arrival of new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in 2004 Cole initially continued to struggle and was publicly criticised by Mourinho. However apparently responding positively to this and also taking advantage of injuries to other players, he was one of the stars of Chelsea's Premiership title winning team in the second half of the 2004-05 season. 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.
As of 28 May 2005 Cole has played 22 times for England, including 17 times as a substitute.he:ג'ו קול de:Joe Cole th:โจ โคล
External links
- Official Website (http://www.joecole.com/)