'Amazing' former Chelsea player named better 15-year-old than Max Dowman
Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole(Image: Alex Dodd - CameraSport)
Former Tottenham and West Ham forward Jermain Defoe has claimed that Joe Cole is the best 15-year-old talent he has ever seen, not Arsenal's Max Dowman or Manchester United's JJ Gabriel.
Cole, now 44, was a product of West Ham's youth system and progressed through the ranks before making his first-team debut aged 17 in January 1999. He went on to make 150 senior appearances for the Hammers, scoring 13 goals, before earning a £6.6million move to Chelsea in August 2003.
Compared to England hero Paul Gascoigne, Cole starred for Chelsea in an era that saw them become a Premier League powerhouse, winning the title three times and the FA Cup twice. Additionally, Cole was part of the Chelsea side that reached the Champions League final.
He ended his Chelsea career in 2010 after seven years, having made 282 appearances, scoring 39 goals and providing 47 assists. Cole moved to Liverpool but struggled to nail down a first-team spot, as he went out on loan to Lille before returning to West Ham for a second stint.
Time at Aston Villa, Coventry City and United States side Tampa Bay Rowdies followed for Cole, who retired from professional football in 2018, aged 36, and has taken up a coaching role at Chelsea.
"When I was a youth player, I heard a lot about this kid called Joe Cole," Defoe told William Hill, when speaking about Cole, who was capped 56 times by England.
Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole. (Image: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
"I remember there was a lot of noise around the East End about me and Leon Knight when we were youth players. They used to call us [Dwight] Yorke and [Andy] Cole – he scored a lot of goals in his district and so did I, then we came together, but I kept hearing a lot about this Joe Cole kid.
"I always thought me and [Leon] Knighty were the main ones, but the first time I saw Joe Cole, I was like, 'I’ve never seen anything like this before'.
"Even now, with all the kids in the current academies, Mikey Moore comes close, then obviously you’ve got Max Dowman, but as a young 14-15 year old, I’ve never seen anything like Joe Cole. He was quicker with the ball than without. He was just amazing."
Dowman is among the most talented young players in world football right now, having risen to prominence in Arsenal's first-team, scoring a brace in Tuesday's 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Ipswich Town.
Now 16, Dowman has made 14 senior appearances for the Gunners and is still expected to have a major role in Mikel Arteta's plans this season, despite the squad's strength and depth.
JJ Gabriel, meanwhile, is another exciting teenager who requested to leave United this week. Born in 2010, Gabriel is nicknamed "Kid Messi" and has been tipped for a huge future in the game.
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