Once upon a time, Ashley Cole was the best left back in the world. Back during the days where he was at Chelsea, the height of Mourinho's reign and part of England's formidable defense. He was without question one of the most difficult defenders to get past, but was also very good coming forward with great confidence on the ball.
If anyone can attest to how good Cashley was, it was Cristiano. Just look at the games between Chelsea and United or England and Portugal; Cole had Cristiano for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any other meal you can think of. His timing was to perfection in getting the ball off players, hardly committing any fouls, and with his speed and reaction-times, you had to be extremely good to get past him. In fact, the only player that made Ashley Cole look stupid was Ronaldinho back in the 2002 World Cup.
Fast forward to 2016 and Cole is no longer deemed relevant to football, and he can't even get into a Roma team that isn't exactly setting our planet alight with their heavenly displays. His contract is set to be terminated and he could be on his way to LA Galaxy; a sharp fall for someone who was at the very height of the game. I suppose it happens to anyone, but I didn't think it would be so instant for Cole.
Literally, as soon as he joined Roma, he became even worse than a brick; he had turned into a ghost. His name was hardly mentioned. He'd been rendered obsolete to the footballing world. The only thing noteworthy that he's done at his time with Roma was that team photo that became a meme. Apart from that, he hasn't really done anything of note for them. But is this karma?
I say this because of what a lot of people know Ashley by; Cashley. The name came about when he claimed he almost crashed his car when he heard how much they offered him, which was below that of Thierry Henry. No, not Henry the clown who performs on the street for spare change; but the Arsenal legend who is one of the greatest players in Premier League history. That Henry.
The very fact that Cole was insulted he was getting paid less than Henry, and that ended up with him leaving for Chelsea were he would be paid more; he was seen as just a player who focused on the monetary side of the game. It's been a stink that has followed him all throughout his career, and of course, the part he had to play in the Anton Ferdinand saga where he defended Terry further maintained his status as the "loser in football."
If Cole ends up in LA and winds away his career in the American sun, despite his mishaps, I still consider him to probably be the best left back I've ever seen. Putting his disgusting character aside, at his height; you cannot name any other player in his position that was better than him. None. He was exceptional, and those that saw him play and those that played against him, would concur.
Comment below using your Facebook or Twitter Account to Log Into Disqus.
HH
