Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has announced his retirement from international football 5 days after turning 37. Cole is currently the assistant manager of American club Tampa Bay Rowdies where he played from 2016 till today. Cole played 659 matches throughout his professional career, scoring 92 goals and providing 80 assists.
Well known for his pace, creativity and technicality, Cole began his youth career at West Ham and joined the senior team in 1998 when he was just. Cole played 150 matches for West Ham before joining Chelsea in 2003. Cole enjoyed some of his career’s finest moments at Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles and two FA Cup titles. He was the Premier League Player of the Month in March 2005 and was Chelsea’s Player of the Year for the 2007-08 season. In that very season, Cole helped Chelsea to the Champions League final.
Joe Cole played a total of 281 matches for Chelsea till 2010, scoring 40 goals. He joined Liverpool in 2010 and was at the club till 2013. Cole spent the final years of his playing career at Aston Villa, Coventry City and Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Joe Cole also made 56 appearances for England, scoring 10 goals. He will perhaps be best known for his remarkable volley against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup. Cole also represented England in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups and Euro 2004. He retired from the national team following England’s loss to Germany at the 2010 World Cup where he appeared as a substitute.
Cole posted a statement about his retirement on Instagram. The statement read, “After 20 years as a professional, the time has come for me to hang up my boots. It has been a dream come true. All of it. My favourite thing about being a professional footballer was the feeling you enjoy after coming back into the dressing room after a win. It will be difficult to replicate that but I’ll always remember all of my former team-mates who I shared that experience with.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have played with some of the very best players of my era and even more fortunate to call a lot of them friends. As a fan, I loved watching wholehearted, skilful players and this is what inspired me. I remembered what was special for me when I was sitting in the stands watching games and I tried to replicate this.
I hope I was able to do this for some of the fans and people who have watched my games over the years. Winning trophies at Chelsea was particularly special for me. Those memories will live with me forever, as will the chance I had to share them with my family. Looking to the future, I want to stay involved in the game. I feel I can offer a lot as a coach and have really enjoyed the opportunity to undertake some of these duties with the Rowdies. To lend my experience to help other young footballers achieve their dreams, just like I did, is a big passion of mine.”
Chelsea took to Instagram to pay tribute to Cole on his retirement.
