Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Joe Cole fact file
1981: Born Camden, London, November 8.
1998: Signs professional forms with West Ham.
1999: January – Makes first-team debut, coming off the bench in the FA Cup-tie against Swansea.
2000: February – Nets first Premier League goal in 5-4 victory over Bradford at Upton Park.
March – Signs long-term deal with Hammers, tying him to Upton Park until 2004.
2001: May 25 – Makes England debut as a substitute in 4-0 win over Mexico at Pride Park.
2002: June – Selected in England’s World Cup squad. Makes one appearance as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Sweden.
2003: June 3 – Scores first goal for England in 2-1 win over Serbia & Montenegro.
August 5 – Completes £6.6million move to Chelsea.
2004: May – Ends a frustrating first season with Chelsea having been limited to just 18 starts by then manager Claudio Ranieri.
June 2 – Named by Sven-Goran Eriksson in England’s Euro 2004 squad but fails to make an appearance in Portugal.
2005: February 27 – Starts in Carling Cup final win over Liverpool.
March – Named Premier League player of the month.
May – Wins Premier League with Chelsea, having scored eight goals during the season.
2006: May – Wins Premier League for the second time having matched his previous season’s record of eight goals.
May 8 – Named in England’s 23-man squad for 2006 World Cup in Germany.
May 19 – Plays the first half of Chelsea’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester United, becoming the first team to win the competition at the new Wembley.
June 20 – Scores with a spectacular lob in England’s final group game against Sweden to reach the last 16.
2009: January 14 – Suffers cruciate ligament damage to his knee in FA Cup game with Southend, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
September 23 – Captains Chelsea against QPR in 1-0 Carling Cup win to mark his return following six months on the sidelines.
2010: April 3 – Scores opening goal at Old Trafford with a clever back heel as Chelsea earn crucial 2-1 win en route to winning the Premier League title.
June 1 – Named in England’s 23-man World Cup squad.
June 27 – Comes on for 30 minutes as England crash out of the World Cup in the last 16 with a 4-1 defeat against Germany.