Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or winger. He was long touted as a

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

and as the hottest prospect in English football, with

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

reportedly offering to pay £10 million for his services as a 16-year-old. Cole started his career with

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

, where, after breaking into the first team in January 1999, he played more than 120

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

games over five seasons. He was one of a number of players who left West Ham in the summer of 2003, after the club had been relegated to the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

, with Cole signing for Chelsea. He spent seven seasons at Chelsea, playing over 280 games in all competitions and winning seven trophies, including three

titles, two

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

s and a League Cup. He left Chelsea on a free transfer in July 2010 to join

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, who a year later loaned him to

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. After a season in France, he returned to Liverpool before re-joining West Ham in January 2013. He signed for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

in June 2014, then joined

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...

on loan in October 2015, joining on a permanent deal in January 2016. Capped by England at under-16, under-18 and under-21 level, Cole was a full international between 2001 and 2010, capped by the England national team on 56 occasions, scoring 10 goals. He was selected for the England squad at the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

World Cups and

Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. Th ...

. After retirement in 2018, Cole took up a coaching role at Chelsea.

Early life

Cole was born Joseph Rooks in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

, London, and lived there until he moved to Somers Town at the age of six.

Club career

West Ham United

Cole is a product of the

youth system. Playing in a mould similar to former England favourite

Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Regarded as one of the best playmakers of his generation and one of the best English footballers of ...

, he progressed through the West Ham ranks and signed professional terms in November 1998 before making his first-team debut aged 17 on 2 January 1999 in an

third round tie against

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

. Eight days later he made his

debut, away to Manchester United. In 1999, Cole was part of West Ham's victorious

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

-winning squad (alongside

Michael Carrick Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English professional Association football, football coach and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Middlesbrough F.C., Middlesbrough. He is considered as one of the best midfield ...

), defeating

9–0 on aggregate in the final. Cole played only eight Premier League games in his first season but in the following season, he made 22 Premier League appearances, was a member of the West Ham team which won the

1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup The 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup finals were won by Montpellier, Juventus, and West Ham United. All three teams advanced to the UEFA Cup. Qualified teams First round First leg ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ...

, scored his first goal for West Ham, in a 3–2 League Cup win at

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

on 30 November 1999 and scored his first Premier League goal, in a 5–4 home win against

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

, on 12 February 2000. In January 2003, then West Ham manager

Glenn Roeder Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager. As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Watf ...

gave Cole the club captain's armband at the age of 21. Cole's last game for West Ham came on 11 May 2003 in a 2–2 draw with Birmingham City, a game which saw West Ham relegated from the Premier League. Cole won the "Hammer of the Year Award" for 2003.

Chelsea

On 6 August 2003, Cole signed for Chelsea for a fee of £6.6 million after he had rejected a new contract with West Ham. He was the sixth player signed after the club's takeover by billionaire

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (born 24 October 1966) is a business oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the primary owner of the private investment com ...

, amongst those was his former West Ham teammate Glen Johnson. Manager

Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Serie A club AS Roma, Roma but will leave on 30 June 2025, followin ...

saw Cole as the perfect replacement for

Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football executive, Manager (association football), manager, and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently v ...

, whom the club had released earlier that year, and West Ham declared that the transfer was enough for them not to sell any more players that summer.

2003–04 season

A week after signing for the club, Cole made his debut in a

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

qualifier away to

MŠK Žilina MŠK Žilina () is a Slovak football club based in the town of Žilina, that is playing in the Slovak First Football League. Since the league inception in 1993, the club has won 7 titles and comes second in All-time table that makes them one o ...

. He came on as a substitute for fellow new signing

Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player. He is the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C., Shelbourne. He began his pro ...

with 21 minutes remaining and caused Michal Drahno to score an own goal to conclude a 2–0 victory. On 17 August, he played his first Premier League game for the club, again replacing Duff for the last 15 minutes in a 2–1 victory over

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

. He scored his first goal on 29 October in the League Cup against

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...

, replacing Jesper Grønkjær in the 70th minute and netting the last goal in a 4–2 victory which put Chelsea into the last 16. On 17 December, in the next round, he started away to

, finishing

Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Ain. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning ...

's cross to equalise in an eventual 1–2 defeat. Cole's only other goal of the season was his only one in the league campaign, ending a one-two with

Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of English club Coventry City. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, one of Chelsea's greates ...

to open the scoring after five minutes away to

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

, albeit in a 1–2 defeat.

2004–05 season

Cole took advantage of injuries to wingers Duff and

Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. Known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, and long-range s ...

to become a regular member of Chelsea's Premier League title winning team in 2004–05. He started in the League Cup Final at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...

on 27 February, making way for Johnson after 81 minutes of an eventual 3–2 win after extra time against Liverpool. His form saw him hit a run of goals towards the end of the season, and he scored a goal on 9 March against

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

blasted in from 20 yards off his weaker left foot Cole scored ten goals for Chelsea in 2004–05 and ended the season with a Premier League champions' medal.

2005–06 season

In the first half of the 2005–06 season, Cole secured himself in the Chelsea first-team lineup, ahead of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Damien Duff. Cole also extended his contract with Chelsea for another four seasons. He ended his season by scoring one of the goals in Chelsea's 3–0 win over Manchester United, which earned the Premier League title for the team. He was subsequently named in the

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...

2006–07 season

In January 2007, Cole underwent surgery for a stress fracture on his foot he suffered in late 2006. He made his return for Chelsea in the first leg of Chelsea's 1–1 draw in the Champions League quarter-final tie against

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. He started for Chelsea in their victory over Manchester United in the

2007 FA Cup Final The 2007 FA Cup final was played on Saturday, 19 May 2007 between Chelsea F.C., Chelsea and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United. It was the 126th FA Cup Final and the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium. Chelsea beat Manchester ...

, and went on to be substituted at half-time.

2007–08 season

In 2007–08, Cole scored a low driven shot that tucked into the corner against West Ham, opting not celebrate against his former club. He scored another goal in the League Cup semi-finals against Everton which sent Chelsea to another final. Cole played in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, which Chelsea lost on penalties to Manchester United; he was substituted in extra time for

Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly featur ...

, who missed Chelsea's crucial penalty. Joe Cole George McCartney

Joe Cole continued his excellent performances racking up a rate of ten goals and eight assists in all competitions, due to his performance he won the Chelsea Player of the Year 2008.

2008–09 season

On 17 August 2008, Cole scored the first Premier League goal of the management of

Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player who currently serves as the technical director of Grêmio. Considered to be one of the greatest and most su ...

in a 4–0 win against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. After surgery on his knee to repair an injury he picked up in the FA Cup clash with Southend United, Cole missed the rest of the season.

2009–10 season

Cole did not play for Chelsea in the 2009–10 pre-season due to a cruciate ligament damage in his knee, suffered in January 2009. He made a return to the starting line-up in Chelsea's League Cup match against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

on 23 September 2009 in which he was also handed the captain's armband. Cole made his first

2009–10 Premier League The 2009–10 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 18th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. A total of 20 teams competed in the league, with Chelsea unseating the thre ...

appearance for Chelsea against

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

, playing in attacking midfield in a 5–0 win. On 8 November 2009, he played his 250th game for Chelsea, coming on as a substitute against Manchester United in the 62nd minute for

Deco Anderson Luís de Souza (born 27 August 1977), also known as Deco (), is a Brazilian-born Portuguese former professional footballer who primarily played as an attacking or central midfielder. Born and raised in Brazil, he acquired Portuguese ...

, on his 28th birthday. On 3 April 2010, Cole scored the first goal in a 2–1 win at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

against Manchester United in a potential title deciding game. Described as a "clever flick", his goal helped Chelsea win and overtake Manchester United at the top of the league as they were at the end of the season. He came on as a substitute as Chelsea won the 2010 FA Cup Final, his second appearance in an FA Cup Final for Chelsea. His contract with Chelsea expired on 30 June 2010, making him a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. Cole ended his career at Chelsea having won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup.

Liverpool

2010–11 season

Cole joined Liverpool on a free transfer after signing a four-year deal in July 2010. He was manager

Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...

's first signing at the club and was given the number 10 shirt. Cole was to receive £90,000-a-week wages and was advertised as a major coup by the club. Club captain

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

. After leaving the club in 2013, Cole said that joining Liverpool was a mistake due to not feeling a connection with the club or fans. Cole made his Liverpool debut on 5 August 2010 against Rabotnički in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

assisting the opening goal for David Ngog in a 2–0 win. His league debut, against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

at Anfield on 15 August 2010, lasted just 45 minutes as he was sent off for a challenge on

Laurent Koscielny Laurent Koscielny (born 10 September 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He is currently the sporting director of Ligue 2 club Lorient. Born in Tulle, Koscielny began his football career playing for a ho ...

. In his next match, on 19 August 2010, Cole missed a penalty against

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

in the

third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

first leg, though Liverpool still won 1–0. Cole played in Jamie Carragher's testimonial match, where he scored his first goal for the club. He then scored his first competitive goal for the club against Steaua București in a Europa League

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

match at Anfield on 16 September 2010, converting just 27 seconds into the game. Liverpool ended up winning 4–1. He scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool in a 2–1 win against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

on 1 January 2011. On 17 February, Cole played his first match under new manager

Kenny Dalglish Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of Celtic's, Liv ...

in a 0–0 draw against

Sparta Prague Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague and Sparta Praha, is a professional football club based in Prague. It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning t ...

in the Europa League, in which he came on as a first-half substitute for the injured

Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues (born 24 September 1979) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played for Grêmio, São Paulo, Valencia and Liverpool. He played as either a left back or left winger and represented Brazil at under-17 and ...

. Cole scored his first and only goal under Kenny Dalglish's tenure in a 5–0 win against Birmingham City at Anfield in April.

Loan at Lille

On 31 August 2011, Cole signed for French champions

on a

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

-long loan. On his debut against

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

, he gained his first assist after a solo run where he took on and beat four players to set up the third goal in Lille's 3–1 victory. Cole got another assist in his second Lille appearance against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, assisting an

Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger or attacking midfielder for Lille OSC, Lille, Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, Real ...

goal in a 1–1 draw. On 24 September, he scored his first goal for Lille, against

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

, in a 1–1 draw. On 23 October, Cole came on as a 60th-minute substitute for Idrissa Gueye and scored his second goal for Lille in the 3–1 win over

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. Following his successful substitute appearance, he was included in the starting line-up for Lille's Round of 16

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

match against

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

club Sedan on 26 October. In the match, Cole scored the team's second goal in the 40th minute, which turned out to be decisive in a 3–1 win. Cole closed out the first half of the Ligue 1 season by scoring a goal in Lille's 4–4 draw with

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionCoupe de France Round of 64 on 7 January 2012. Cole scored his fourth league goal of the season in a 4–1 triumph over

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French language, French: ; or ; , locally: ; ) is the capital and largest city of Corsica, France. It forms a communes of France, French commune, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Corse-du-Sud, and head o ...

on 15 April, firing the ball just inside the post following a cross from Nolan Roux. The final appearance in his loan with Lille came in their 4–1 final day victory over Nancy, he provided an assist for one of Eden Hazard's three goals and was later substituted off in the 64th minute by Nolan Roux. The playmaker underwent a career renaissance during his loan spell with Lille, scoring on four occasions in 27 league appearances and providing three assists. Following the season, Lille manager

Rudi Garcia Rudi José Garcia (; ; born 20 February 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Belgium national team. Garcia began his professional career with Lille, and went on to have stints ...

declared his desire to keep Cole at the club. On 5 June 2012, however, he confirmed that Cole would not remain at Lille after stating that new Liverpool manager

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed until h ...

wanted the player to rejoin the Liverpool squad.

Return to Liverpool

After a one-year loan to Lille, Cole returned to Liverpool with new manager Brendan Rodgers saying he wanted to have him in the squad for the upcoming season. He played three pre-season matches, against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. On 2 August 2012, Cole started his first Liverpool game for over a year, playing in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

first leg qualifier victory over

FC Gomel FC Gomel () is a Belarusian association football, football club based in the city of Gomel. Their home stadium is Central Stadium (Gomel), Central Stadium. History Teams from Gomel (usually city or raion selection or railway-based team ''Lokomo ...

. He was substituted after just 23 minutes being replaced by

Raheem Sterling Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger for club Chelsea F.C., Chelsea. Sterling began his career at Queens Park Rangers F.C., Que ...

after tweaking his

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

s. On 18 August 2012, he was able to return as a substitute in Liverpool's 3–0 defeat to

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

. On 22 November 2012, Cole was given a start against

BSC Young Boys Berner Sport Club Young Boys (YB by short abbreviation, ) is a Swiss professional sports club based in Bern, Switzerland. Its first team has won 17 Swiss league championships and eight Swiss Cups. YB is one of the most successful Swiss footbal ...

in the Europa League, providing a cross to

Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who most recently played as a central midfielder for EFL Championship club Burnley. Shelvey began his career at Charlton Athletic, becoming their youngest-ever player ...

to score the opener and then scoring Liverpool's second, in the 2–2 draw. On 9 December 2012, he scored the equaliser as Liverpool beat his former club West Ham 3–2.

Return to West Ham

In January 2013, West Ham signed Cole on a free transfer from Liverpool, with Cole returning to his first professional club on an 18-month deal. He made his second "debut" on 5 January in an FA Cup third round tie against Manchester United. The game finished 2–2 with Cole providing the assists for both of West Ham's goals which were scored by James Collins. Cole scored his first league goal on his return to West Ham in a 1–1 home draw with Queens Park Rangers on 19 January 2013, scoring from close range after Carlton Cole's shot had been saved by QPR goalkeeper Júlio César. Cole scored his second West Ham goal since his return on 25 February 2013 in a 2–3 defeat to Tottenham, putting the Hammers 2–1 up by turning with the ball to score. On 17 August 2013, Cole scored West Ham's first Premier League goal of the 2013–14 campaign, netting the first in a 2–0 home victory over newly promoted

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

. Cole was ruled out of action for six weeks with a

injury in September 2013. On 30 November 2013, he scored his second goal of the season in a home victory over

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, coming off the bench to complete the 3–0 victory. At the end of the 2013–14 season, and the end of Cole's 18-month contract, his departure from West Ham was confirmed. In his second spell, he had played in 37 games in all competitions, scoring five goals.

Aston Villa

In June 2014, Cole signed a two-year contract with Aston Villa on a free transfer after he was released by West Ham. His debut for the club came on 27 August, starting and being replaced by

Andreas Weimann Andreas Weimann (; born 5 August 1991) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for club Blackburn Rovers and the Austria national team. He was signed by Aston Villa as a sixteen-year-old from ...

in the 62nd minute as they lost 0–1 to League One club

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...

in the second round of the League Cup. Cole's first Premier League game was on 18 October, coming on for the final nine minutes in place of Christian Benteke in a 0–3 defeat away to Everton. On 29 November, Cole made his first start for Villa away to

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

, opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw. He was an unused substitute on 30 May 2015 in the

FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...

, which Villa lost 0–4 to Arsenal.

Coventry City

On 16 October 2015, Cole signed for

on a 35-day, emergency loan deal, and made his debut four days later, playing for just under an hour in an away 0–0 draw against

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

. His debut goal came on 3 November in a 4–3 home win against

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

, a free-kick which put Coventry 4-2 up. In November, his loan with Coventry was extended until 3 January 2016. On 7 January 2016, Cole signed on a free transfer on a deal lasting until the end of the season. In all, Cole made 22 league appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring twice, both from long-range free kicks.

Tampa Bay Rowdies and retirement

On 4 May 2016, Cole signed with the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

(NASL), signing a contract through the end of the 2017 NASL season, with a club option for 2018. He made his debut ten days later, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–1 home draw against

Rayo OKC Rayo OKC, also known as Rayo Oklahoma City, was an American professional soccer team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They joined the North American Soccer League (NASL) – the second tier of the American soccer pyramid – beginning ...

. Two weeks later, away to Minnesota United, he scored his first goal to open a 2–0 win, assisting

Eric Avila Eric Humberto Avila (born November 24, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who has played as a midfielder and defender. Early life and education Avila who is of Mexican descent, was born on November 24, 1987, in San Diego, Califor ...

for the other; he was voted the league's Player of the Week. On 19 October, Cole was one of ten players nominated for the NASL Golden Ball award. In June 2018, Cole was promoted to assistant coach with the Rowdies, while still acting as a player as well. Cole retired from football on 13 November 2018. He took up a coaching role at Chelsea.

Belstone

On 21 April 2021, Cole briefly came out of retirement to play for Belstone of the Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division, who are managed by his friend Aaron Lincoln. Cole played the first half of a Premier Division Cup tie away to Harefield United Reserves. Belstone won the fixture 2–1. Cole continues to occasionally train with Belstone, and has since made two further appearances for the club in pre-season matches.

International career

As a youngster, Cole played for the England's under-17 team, where he scored the winning goal against Norway in a final of the Nordic Tournament. Cole made his senior international debut against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in May 2001. He was a member of England's

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

squad, making one substitute appearance in the tournament. Cole was also a squad member at

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...

, but did not play. Cole's displays in England's friendlies leading up to the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams represe ...

enhanced his reputation ahead of the summer's finals in Germany. In May 2006, he was confirmed in the England squad for the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

, ahead of Chelsea teammate Shaun Wright-Phillips. He played on the left side of midfield in England's opening game against

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

on 10 June 2006. On 20 June 2006, England drew with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in Group B play, with a final score of 2–2. Cole scored a volley in the 34th minute of the match and got an assist in the 85th when he sent in a ball to

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,Man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

award. Cole lined up for the England squad for the first time since the 2006 World Cup in the 1–1 friendly draw against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, on 15 November 2006 providing an assist for

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...

from a cross. After another injury, he returned to start the friendly against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

on 1 June 2007. Cole scored his seventh goal for England in June 2007, in Euro 2008 qualifying, away to

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. On 7 February 2008, Cole was one of the 23-man squad selected for the friendly against

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

which they won 2–1, courtesy of Jermaine Jenas and Shaun Wright-Phillips goals. For Jenas' goal, Cole skipped down the left and crossed to Jenas. Cole was named Man of the match for his performance. In August 2008, Cole scored a late equalising goal in a 2–2 draw at Wembley against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

after coming on as a substitute. He then scored England's two goals in the next fixture after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2–0 defeat of

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

in the opening match for 2010 World Cup qualifying. In England's next World Cup qualifier, against

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, he suffered a head injury in a clash with Croatian defender Robert Kovač which resulted in the Croat's sending off. Cole was named in the final 23-man selection for England's

2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

. He played, and scored, in a 3–0 victory against Platinum Stars, of South Africa's

Premier Soccer League The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is the administrative body for professional soccer leagues and cups in South Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, and was founded in 1996 following an agreement between the National Soccer League and the remnant ...

, in an unofficial warm-up game. However, he was limited to only two substitute appearances in the tournament itself, as England lost to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in the second round in what was to be his final international appearance.

Style of play

A clever, versatile, and technically gifted midfielder, Cole was capable of playing in several offensive midfield positions, as an

, winger or

supporting striker In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

. A quick, strong and creative player, Cole was known in particular for his

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. As ...

skills, and was capable of both scoring and creating goals due to his vision, passing and striking ability. His dribbling and overall flair was praised by

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

, who stated that, "He has the skills of a Brazilian," during Cole's spell at Chelsea. Despite his talent, some pundits have argued that he failed to live up to the potential he demonstrated in his youth, partially due to the recurring injuries he sustained throughout his career.

Media

In 2001, aged 19, he was the subject of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary ''Football's Dream Factory'' presented by

Alan Hansen Alan David Hansen MBE (born 13 June 1955) is a Scottish former footballer and BBC television football pundit. Regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time and one of Liverpool's best ever centre-backs, he enjoyed a highly decorated ...

. He is currently a

pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...

TNT Sports TNT Sports is the brand name for sports television channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world that are owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The name originates from the American cable television ...

Personal life

Cole married fitness instructor Carly Zucker in June 2009. Cole had been dating Zucker since 2002 and proposed to her in 2007. The couple have a daughter, Ruby Tatiana Cole, born in March 2010, and a son, Harrison "Harry" Cole, born in October 2012. In November 2009, Cole was caught driving his

Audi A4 The Audi A4 is a line of luxury compact executive cars produced from 1994 to 2025 by the German car manufacturer Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The A4 has been built in five generations and is based on the Volkswagen Group B platfor ...

at 105 mph on a 70 mph section of dual carriageway in

Claygate Claygate is an affluent suburban village in Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It is the only civil parishes in England, civil parish in the borough of Elmbridge. Adjoining Esher and Hinchley Wood to the west and north respectively, ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

.Footballer Joe Cole found guilty of speeding in Surrey
BBC News, 18 August 2010 Subsequently Cole received a suspended driving ban, and was fined £750 and ordered to pay £600 costs. Cole is a wearer of

contact lenses Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lens (optics), lenses placed directly on the surface of the Human eye, eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct ...

. He has worn them since his early days at Chelsea.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cole goal''.

Honours

West Ham United *

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

Chelsea *

: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10 *

: 2006–07, 2009–10 *

Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

: 2004–05; runner-up: 2007–08 *

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

runner-up: 2007–08 Individual * West Ham United Hammer of the Year: 2002–03 *

Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 1 ...

: March 2005 *

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...

: Nominated:

: 2005–06 Premier League * Chelsea Player of the Year: 2008 * NASL Best XI: 2016

References

External links

Profile
at the Liverpool F.C. website
Joe Cole
at TheFA.com * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Joe 1981 births Living people English adoptees English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Footballers from the City of Westminster People from Paddington People from Somers Town, London Footballers from the London Borough of Camden West Ham United F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players Lille OSC players Aston Villa F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Premier League players Ligue 1 players English Football League players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players USL Championship players England men's youth international footballers England men's under-21 international footballers England men's B international footballers England men's international footballers 2002 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2004 players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in France English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Player-coaches Tampa Bay Rowdies coaches Chelsea F.C. non-playing staff English football coaches 21st-century English sportsmen English association football commentators