Cast back 10 years ago Steven Gerrard really said that to match of the day magazine, a very bold statement but it does show how good of a player Joe Cole was.

“Lionel Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe Cole can do as well if not better," said Gerrard.

Cole spent 7 years at Chelsea joining from West Ham in 2003 for a fee of £6.6 million, he spent 7 years at Chelsea making 282 appearances, scoring 39 goals and winning 6 major trophies. During this time Cole unfortunately suffered 2 major injuries.

Defining moments in a Chelsea shirt

Is there a better moment to write your name into Chelsea history than securing the title win against rivals Manchester United in 2005/06 season?

Cole beat three United defenders with a wonderful bit of skill, then smashed the ball home against Edwin Van Der Sar, this goal showed the very best of Cole, the skill, the pace and the finish.

In an interview with BT sport Cole said: “If I could show my grandchildren one goal this would be it because it showed what I was good at as a player.”

Another key moment in Coles blue career came once against Manchester United 4 years later on where once again he showed his skill as a player to score a flick at Old Trafford to give Chelsea the edge over their rivals in the title race.

The 2008 season was an incredible season for the blues reaching their first ever Champions League final, a team filled with superstars and legends but Joe Cole beat everyone else to Chelsea Player of the Year that season. Perhaps this would be better remembered if the team had gone all the way and lifted the Champions league.

Even after Cole left Chelsea, he added a huge contribution to the blues future success, while he was playing at Lille, he managed to convince Eden Hazard to come join Chelsea and the rest is history.

 

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