Joe Cole
Joseph John Cole, better known as Joe Cole, was born on 8th November 1981, in Islington, London.
He is an attacking midfielder for England and Chelsea.
Joe Cole worked his way up through the West Ham youth academy, and from a very young age was regarded as one of the hottest new talents in English football.
He has drawn comparisons with Paul Gascoigne as he plays with flair in a similar position.
Joe Cole progressed through the Hammers ranks very quickly and made his first team debut at the age of 17. However, after West Ham's manager, Harry Redknapp left the club, Cole’s form declined in spite of his incredible natural talent.
Joe Cole's target was to become a regular in the England first team and to help further his chances, he moved to Chelsea in 2003, for £7m, as one of the first signings under the Roman Abramovich reign.
Initially Joe Cole failed to shine at Stamford Bridge due to competition from players such as Damien Duff and Arjen Robben. However, when Claudio Ranieri was sacked, and Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea, Joe Cole's form improved massively and he started playing in the team more often.
Joe Cole was a squad member at Euro 2004 but didn’t actually play. Some consider him to be the solution to England's 'left wing problem' and since 2004 he has continued to gain international caps.
He continued to shine. Joe Cole's many quality performances included England's match in the World Cup 2006 against Sweden, where he was rightly named FIFA Man of the Match.
Joe Cole came fourth in The Independent's list of Britain's happiest people.
Joe Cole was selected for the PFA Premiership Team of the Year 2006.
Joe Cole biography by Ben Rosenbaum
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