Ian Macleay

Joe Cole, a talented product of the famous West Ham youth system, was hailed as a child prodigy by no less than Harry Redknapp. He made his first-team debut for the club at the age of 17—and his dedication to the Hammers saw him receive the captain's armband in his early 20s. Meanwhile a call-up to the England senior team marked his England debut at the tender age of 19. A versatile young playmaker, a series of solid performances in the claret and blue made him a valuable fixture at the East London club. But the lure of a move across town to Stamford Bridge proved too much to resist and in 2003 he donned a Chelsea shirt. Fortune has not always been in Cole's favor—in particular meeting tough competition for his position at Chelsea—and expectations, raised at an early age, have sometimes been hard to meet, but the attacking midfielder has continually produced a number of fine cameos which only serve to point the way to future achievement for club and country. Yet while he has worked hard to stay level-headed, his maturity off the pitch has not prevented his involvement in some colourful incidents in recent years. Taking it all in his stride he is set to become a major figure at the top of English football. This is the ultimate biography of the Hammers and Blues' enigmatic dangerman.

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