Joe Cole has retired from professional football at the age of 37.
The midfielder joined Chelsea from West Ham in 2003, when he was considered one of the brightest talents that England had produced.
With us he won a plethora of trophies, including three Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and a League Cup. He was also part of the defeated 2008 Champions League final team.
His statement announcing his retirement mentioned all his past clubs, but gave special attention to Chelsea as the place where he reached his peak and won silverware.
Cole perhaps never achieved the world class level some hoped of him as a teenager, but he had some superb spells and some brilliant games for Chelsea, not least the season where Jose Mourinho really lit a fire under him and got him scoring through a vital winter period that carried us to our second successive title.
The cherry on top of that run was his famous goal against Manchester United to seal the title, where he humiliated his old West Ham teammate Rio Ferdinand before blasting the ball home and celebrating with the Shed.
Thank you Joe Cole and good luck, you’ll always be welcome at Stamford Bridge.
