Ashley Cole Age, Height & Biography

Ashley Cole is an English former professional footballer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest left-backs of his generation. Born in Stepney, London, in 1980, he won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with Arsenal, including as part of the unbeaten Invincibles team of 2003-04, before moving to Chelsea, where he won the Champions League in 2012. He won 107 caps for England and played at three World Cups.

Quick Facts

Who Is Ashley Cole?

Ashley Cole was the first-choice left-back for club and country for more than a decade. A quick, tenacious and technically gifted defender, he combined outstanding one-on-one defending with the ability to get forward and support the attack. He came through the Arsenal academy and became a key part of the team that went unbeaten through the 2003-04 Premier League season, the famous Invincibles.

In 2006, Cole joined Chelsea, where he spent eight years and made 338 appearances. He won the Premier League twice with the club, the FA Cup four times and, in 2012, the Champions League. For England he won 107 caps between 2001 and 2014, playing at the World Cups of 2002, 2006 and 2010 and at Euro 2004 and Euro 2012. His seven FA Cup winners’ medals are a record for a player.

Early Life & Background

Ashley Simon Cole was born on 20 December 1980 in Stepney, East London, and grew up in Bow. He joined Arsenal’s academy as a schoolboy and signed professional terms with the club in 1998. He made his first-team debut in November 1999 against Middlesbrough in the League Cup, and he spent part of the 1999-2000 season on loan at Crystal Palace, where he made 14 appearances.

Cole’s loan spell at Crystal Palace proved to be a turning point. He returned to Arsenal a more confident player and, during the 2000-01 season, he took the left-back position from the Brazilian international Silvinho. He kept the place for the next five years, becoming one of the first names on the team sheet for both Arsenal and England.

Career

At Arsenal, Cole won the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2002 and the FA Cup again in 2003. His finest season came in 2003-04, when Arsenal went through the entire Premier League season unbeaten to win the title as the Invincibles. He won the FA Cup again in 2005 and reached the Champions League final in 2006, where Arsenal lost to Barcelona. In 2005 he was fined by the Premier League for meeting Chelsea officials, and in August 2006 he joined Chelsea in a deal worth 5 million pounds plus William Gallas.

Cole spent eight years at Chelsea, making 338 appearances. He won the Premier League in 2010 and 2015, the FA Cup in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012, and the League Cup in 2007. His greatest night came in May 2012, when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on penalties in Munich to win the Champions League for the first time. He added the Europa League in 2013. He won the FA Cup seven times in total, a record for a player.

Cole left Chelsea in 2014 and spent two seasons with Roma in Italy, before joining LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer in 2016, where he made 86 appearances. He returned to England in January 2019 to join Derby County, managed by his former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard, and he announced his retirement from football in August 2019 at the age of 38.

For England, Cole made his debut in March 2001 against Albania and went on to win 107 caps, although he never scored for his country. He played at the World Cups of 2002, 2006 and 2010 and at Euro 2004 and Euro 2012, and he was England’s first-choice left-back for more than a decade. He retired from international football in 2014 after being left out of the World Cup squad for Brazil. Since retiring he has moved into coaching, working in Chelsea’s academy, as an assistant coach with England’s Under-21 team and as an assistant at Everton.

Facts About Ashley Cole

• He won the FA Cup seven times, a record for a player.
• He was part of Arsenal’s Invincibles team that went unbeaten in the 2003-04 Premier League season.
• He made 338 appearances for Chelsea.
• He won 107 caps for England but never scored for his country.
• He played in three World Cups, in 2002, 2006 and 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions