{"product_id":"9781399637343","title":"Joe Cole, Luxury Player - SIGNED EDITION","description":"\u003ch3\u003eSIGNED EDITION\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: Joe Cole\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eEngland | Autobiography: sport | Football (Soccer, Association football)\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 6\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e November 2025 by Orion Publishing Co (Seven Dials) in the United Kingdom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHardback | 352 pages \u003cbr\u003e240mm x 156mm | 500g\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe long-awaited memoir from England, Chelsea and West Ham legend, Joe Cole 'I want to tell you about how football - English football - felt different for me. For much of my life it felt like I was in the wrong place, trying to play a different tune.'One of the best players of his era, Joe Cole grew up playing football in North London's estates, and his ability, grit and hard work, took him to the very top. But Joe was often mistrusted by managers and out of step with the style of English football in the 2000s. The game was suspicious of creative footballers it considered luxury players - the kind it could regard as an indulgence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith honesty and an eye for the absurdities of football, Joe takes us inside the dressing room to reveal it all. From his days at the prestigious Lilleshall School of Excellence and rising through the ranks as a teenage prodigy at West Ham, to signing for Roman Abramovich's Chelsea and winning it all under José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, before being discarded by his boyhood club after a remarkable 7-year spell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe offers an insider account of a fascinating era in modern football, playing alongside the likes of Lampard and Drogba, Beckham and Rooney, Gerrard and Di Canio. He talks about his experiences playing for England's so-called Golden Generation, his extraordinary goal against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup, and the reality of being managed by Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a remarkable career. Then came the tumultuous end, as Joe battled severe injuries and his family suffered loss. He takes us on the journey of a great player coming to terms with his waning powers as his body began to fail him and football moved on. Football had given him everything. But then, it was over. Beyond football, Joe writes movingly of his family, how his working-class parents adjusted to the fame of their son, and his father's brushes with the law.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCandid, raw and unforgettable, this is Joe Cole's story, a must-read for any football fan.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Bookhouse Broughty Ferry","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55703467426167,"sku":"9781399637343","price":22.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0357\/3199\/6807\/files\/JOE_COLE_FEED_INDIES_SIGNED.png?v=1756731559","url":"https:\/\/thebookhousebroughtyferry.co.uk\/products\/9781399637343","provider":"The Bookhouse Broughty Ferry","version":"1.0","type":"link"}