Ashley Cole Bio Send To Friend  

Nicknamed "Cashley" by disgruntled Arsenal fans following his defection to Chelsea, booed by the England supporters at Wembley after a mistake against Kazakhstan in a World Cup qualifier and generally vilified by the tabloid press, Cole has still established himself as one the best left-backs in the world.

Nurtured through Arsenal's now famous youth ranks by Arsene Wenger the defender really came of age at Euro 2004 when he produced an almost perfect performance at left-back to mark Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo out of the quarter-final clash on his own patch, although England eventually lost the game on a penalty shoot-out.

On his return to domestic football, Cole was "tapped-up" by Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2005 and was fined £100,000 for meeting Blues' representatives in a hotel. He eventually moved to Stamford Bridge in July 2006 following a contract wrangle with the Gunners that saw his popularity hit a new low. Despite winning the double with the Gunners in 2001-02 and being part of the 'Invincibles' who won the league title again in 2004-05 he is not remembered fondly at Emirates. Cole continues to win silverware at Stamford Bridge and has picked up more FA Cup titles than any other player, but is yet to win the league in a Chelsea shirt.

Strengths: Pacy, with great powers of recovery and when he is on his game is very difficult to beat. Very good at getting forward to supplement the attack.

Weaknesses: Can sometimes be rash in the tackle and his diminutive size can leave him vulnerable in an aerial battle.

Career high: Winning the FA Cup and Premier League double with Arsenal as a youngster.

Career low: Losing the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2006.

Style: Quick, attacking, a defender with great stamina.

Quotes: "When I heard Jonathan [Cole's agent] repeat the figure of £55k-a-week, I nearly swerved off the road. 'He is taking the piss, Jonathan!' I yelled down the phone. I was so incensed. I was trembling with anger. I couldn't believe what I'd heard." Ashley Cole after being offered a mere £55,000-a-week by Arsenal.

Trivia: In September 2007 the Daily Star reported that R&B diva Mariah Carey discovered she was a distant cousin of Ashley Cole whilst researching if she was related to jazz legend Nat King Cole.

Soccernet says: Disliked and unloved by the general public, but he would be one of the first names on the team sheet of those same naysayers.