Ashley Cole

For the American lawyer, see Ashley T. Cole.

Ashley Cole
Cole with England at Euro 2012
Personal information
Full name Ashley Cole[1]
Date of birth (1980-12-20) 20 December 1980 (age 43)[2]
Place of birth Stepney, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.76 m)[2]
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
Youth career
1997–1999 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2006 Arsenal 156 (8)
2000 → Crystal Palace (loan) 14 (1)
2006–2014 Chelsea 229 (7)
2014–2016 Roma 11 (0)
2016–2018 LA Galaxy 89 (3)
2019 Derby County 9 (0)
Total 508 (19)
International career
1999 England U20 2 (0)
2002 England U21 5 (1)
2001–2014 England 107 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is considered by many critics and fellow professional players as one of the best defenders of his generation,[3][4][5][6] one of the greatest English players of all time[7][8][9][10] as well as one of the greatest left-backs in the history of the sport.[11][12][13][14] Born in Stepney, London, Cole began his youth career at Arsenal and made his full debut for the club in November 1999, going on to make 228 appearances and scoring nine goals for the North London club. With Arsenal he won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and was an integral member of the "Invincibles" team of the 2003–04 season, who went the entire league season undefeated. Cole also made an appearance in Arsenal's first UEFA Champions League final in 2006; the club lost 2–1 to Barcelona.

In August 2006, after a protracted transfer saga, Cole completed a move to rival club Chelsea, with whom he won further honours, including the Premier League in the 2009–10 season, four FA Cups, one Football League Cup and one UEFA Champions League. He was released by Chelsea at the end of the 2013–14 season.[15][16] With seven winners' medals, Cole has won the FA Cup more times than any other player in history,[17] and is one of two players to have won the Double with two clubs, along with Nicolas Anelka.[18]

Cole was an England international from 2001 to 2014, playing at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups, as well as Euro 2004 and Euro 2012. He was voted England Player of the Year in 2010. When he retired from international football in 2014, he had won 107 caps, making him England's most-capped full-back.[19]

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Ten of the Best Defenders in the World". About Sports. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Poll: Is Ashley Cole England's best ever defender since 1966?". Talksport. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  5. ^ Ronay, Barney (24 February 2012). "Hail Cashley Ashley Cole, the epitome of undervalued excellence". The Guardian. London.
  6. ^ "England Manager Fabio Capello: Ashley Cole Is One Of The Best Left-Backs In The World". Goal.com. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  7. ^ "The greatest England internationals of all time - ranked". 90min. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Ranked! The 25 best English players ever". Four Four Two. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Ashley Cole was nobody's hero and there were ugly undercurrents in the way he was perceived". The Independent. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ^ "The Highs and Lows of Ashley Cole's Remarkable England Career". Beacher Report. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  11. ^ "The 5 Greatest Left-Backs of All-Time". The Sporting Blog. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  12. ^ "The Best Left-Backs of All Time". 90min. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  13. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (12 October 2010). "England v Montenegro: Ashley Cole is our best-ever left-back, says Stuart Pearce". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  14. ^ "Ancelotti: Cole is the best left-back in the world". ESPN FC. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  15. ^ "Clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Chelsea let Lampard and Cole leave club". itv.com. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  17. ^ Ronay, Barney (8 May 2012). "Di Matteo's magic brings Chelsea FA Cup victory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  18. ^ "Ashley Cole wins sixth winners' medal and a double Double". Reuters. 15 May 2010. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  19. ^ "Cheers for England, Ash and Lamps". TheFA.com. The Football Association. Retrieved 21 May 2012.