Ashley Cole facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ashley Cole

Cole with England at Euro 2012
Personal information
Full name	Ashley Cole
Date of birth	(1980-12-20) 20 December 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth	Stepney, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.76 m)
Position(s)	Left-back
Team information
Current team	England (interim assistant coach)
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 a famous English football coach and former player. He played as a left-back. He is best known for his time with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Many football experts and players think he is one of the best defenders of his time. They also consider him one of the greatest English players ever. He is often called one of the best left-backs in football history.

Cole started his youth career at Arsenal in London. He made his first team debut in 1999. He played 228 games for Arsenal and scored nine goals. With Arsenal, he won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He was a key part of the "Invincibles" team in the 2003–04 season. This team went the whole league season without losing a single game. He also played in Arsenal's first UEFA Champions League final in 2006.

In 2006, Cole moved to rival club Chelsea. There, he won even more trophies. These included the Premier League in the 2009–10 season, four more FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League. He has won the FA Cup seven times, which is more than any other player.

Cole also played for the England national team from 2001 to 2014. He played in three FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010) and two Euro tournaments (2004, 2012). In 2010, he was voted England Player of the Year. When he stopped playing for England in 2014, he had played 107 games. This made him England's most-capped full-back.

Early Life and Football Start

Ashley Cole's father is from Barbados. He left the family when Ashley was young. Ashley and his younger brother Matthew were raised by their mother, Sue Cole. They went to Bow School in Tower Hamlets, London.

Club Career Highlights

Arsenal: 1999–2006

Cole joined his favourite childhood club, Arsenal, to start his career. He was 18 when he played his first game for the senior team in November 1999. This was a League Cup match against Middlesbrough.

Before becoming a regular player for Arsenal, he spent some time on loan. He played for Crystal Palace in the 1999–2000 season. He played 14 league games and scored one goal for them.

When Arsenal's main left-back, Sylvinho, got injured, Cole got his chance. He quickly became the first-choice left-back for Arsenal.

With Arsenal, he won the Premier League twice, in 2002 and 2004. He also won the FA Cup three times (2002, 2003, 2005). He even scored in the penalty shootout in the 2005 FA Cup final. In total, he played 228 games for Arsenal and scored nine goals. He also played in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona.

Moving to Chelsea: 2006

In 2005, there was a lot of talk about Cole possibly moving to Chelsea. He was fined by the Premier League for meeting with Chelsea without telling Arsenal.

After much discussion, Cole moved to Chelsea on 31 August 2006. This was a big transfer deal. As part of the deal, William Gallas moved from Chelsea to Arsenal. The move made some Arsenal fans unhappy.

Chelsea: 2006–2014

Cole was given the number 3 shirt at Chelsea. He played his first game for the club on 9 September 2006. In January 2007, he got a knee injury but recovered quickly. He returned to play in the 2007 FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. Chelsea won 1–0 against Manchester United, and Cole helped them win the FA Cup.

Cole playing for Chelsea in a Champions League game in October 2010

Cole scored his first goal for Chelsea on 1 March 2008 against West Ham United. In September 2009, he signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea.

In February 2010, he broke his left ankle, which kept him out for three months. He returned and helped Chelsea win the Premier League title. He also played in the 2010 FA Cup final, where Chelsea beat Portsmouth. This gave Cole his second league and cup double of his career. He played every league game for Chelsea in the 2010–11 season. He was also named Chelsea's Player's Player of the Year for the second time.

Cole playing for Chelsea during the 2012 UEFA Champions League final

In the 2011–12 season, Cole won his seventh FA Cup. Chelsea beat Liverpool 2–1 in the 2012 FA Cup final. He was also very important in Chelsea's Champions League journey. He made a crucial goal-line clearance against Barcelona in the semi-finals. He also played a great game in the final against Bayern Munich. He even scored in the penalty shoot-out, helping Chelsea win their first European Cup.

Cole scored a winning goal against Stoke City in September 2012. In January 2013, he signed another contract extension with Chelsea. He helped the club win another European title, the UEFA Europa League, in May 2013.

In the 2013–14 season, Cole played less often. He captained the team in his last game for Chelsea against Cardiff City. He left Chelsea in May 2014 when his contract ended.

Roma: 2014–2016

On 7 July 2014, Cole signed a two-year deal with Roma in Italy. He played his first game for them on 30 August in a 2–0 win against Fiorentina. He left Roma in January 2016.

Cole defending for Roma against Liverpool in 2014

LA Galaxy: 2016–2018

Cole then moved to the United States. He joined LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer on 27 January 2016. He made his debut in February. His manager, Bruce Arena, praised him after his first league game.

Cole with LA Galaxy in June 2018

On 7 August 2016, Cole scored his first goal for the Galaxy. It was a last-minute goal that helped his team draw 2–2. His team reached the play-offs but lost. After the game, he apologised to his long-time England teammate Steven Gerrard. Gerrard was playing his last professional match for the Galaxy that night.

In his second season, Cole played 29 matches and scored once. The team did not make the play-offs. In 2018, he was named captain of LA Galaxy. He left the club at the end of the 2018 season.

Derby County: 2019

On 21 January 2019, Cole joined Championship team Derby County. He reunited with his former Chelsea and England teammate, Frank Lampard, who was the manager. He signed a contract until the end of the season. He was released at the end of the season. Ashley Cole officially announced his retirement from playing football on 18 August 2019.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Ashley Cole became a coach at Derby County. He later followed Frank Lampard to Chelsea, where he coached in their youth academy.

In July 2021, Cole became an assistant coach for the England U21s. He worked alongside head coach Lee Carsley.

In February 2022, Cole joined Everton as a first-team coach. He again joined Frank Lampard, who had become Everton's manager. Cole left Everton in January 2023 when Lampard left the club.

In October 2023, Cole joined Wayne Rooney's coaching staff at Birmingham City. He left Birmingham City in September 2024.

On 23 August 2024, it was confirmed that Cole would help Lee Carsley. Carsley became the interim head coach of the England senior team.

International Career

Cole playing for England at UEFA Euro 2012

Ashley Cole played for England at youth levels before joining the senior team. He played for the England U-20 team in 1999. He also made four appearances for the England under-21s.

After only four games for the Under-21s, Cole was called up to the senior England team. He made his first senior international appearance on 28 March 2001 against Albania.

He played for England in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 FIFA World Cups. He also played in UEFA Euro 2004 and UEFA Euro 2012. In Euro 2004, he was named one of the best players in the tournament.

In the 2006 World Cup, he played in every game for England. He made a very important block against Ecuador. England won that game 1–0. By the end of 2008, Cole had played 68 games for England.

He played his 79th game for England in the 2010 World Cup against the United States. He broke the record for most games played by a black English international. On 6 February 2013, he played his 100th game for England. This was against Brazil at Wembley.

On 11 May 2014, he announced he was retiring from international football. This was after he was not chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.

How Ashley Cole Played

Ashley Cole was known for his attacking style of play. He loved to go forward and help his team score goals. When he was young, he enjoyed scoring goals. But he learned to love defending as well.

Before he joined Arsenal's first team, Cole watched other defenders to improve his skills. He tried to play like the famous Brazilian player Roberto Carlos.

His former manager, Arsène Wenger, said Cole had "great character and determination." Cole's quick progress at Arsenal surprised Wenger. He became the team's first-choice left-back very quickly. Cole worked well with players like Robert Pires and Thierry Henry. This made him almost like a wing-back because Arsenal played very attacking football.

When he played for José Mourinho at Chelsea, Cole focused more on defending. He improved this part of his game a lot. Later, under manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, Cole started making more attacking runs again.

Cole was also famous for making important goal-line clearances. This means he would stop the ball from going into the net right on the goal line. He made two such clearances in Chelsea's 2011–12 Champions League winning season. These clearances were very important. Chelsea won those games by just one goal, and then went on to win the Champions League.

Personal Life

Ashley Cole has a son (born 2016) and a daughter (born 2018) with Italian model Sharon Canu.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Cole playing for England against Slovenia, 2009

Honours

Arsenal

• Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04
• FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05; runner-up: 2000–01
• FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2005–06

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2009–10
• FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12
• Football League Cup: 2006–07; runner-up: 2007–08
• FA Community Shield: 2009
• UEFA Champions League: 2011–12; runner-up: 2007–08
• UEFA Europa League: 2012–13

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2002–03 Premier League, 2003–04 Premier League, 2004–05 Premier League, 2010–11 Premier League
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2004
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2010
• Chelsea Players' Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2010–11
• Chelsea Goal of the Season: 2009–10 vs Sunderland
• England Player of the Year: 2010
• Premier League 20 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2011–12):
  • Fantasy Teams of the 20 Seasons (Public and Panel choice)
• Premier League Hall of Fame: 2024

See Also

In Spanish: Ashley Cole para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps