FORMER Chelsea star Joe Cole has come out of retirement to play for a team in the 10th tier of English football.
The 42-year-old former England and Blues ace laced up his boots for a pre-season friendly with Belstone FC on Tuesday.
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Cole, now a pundit for TNT Sports and ITV, was all smiles as he posed for a photo after the clash against Milton Keynes College Football Academy.
A tweet from Belstone read: “Joe Cole, @blundenm8 and the referees after yesterday’s pre-season friendly.
“Thanks to @MKCollegeFooty for traveling to the game. Good luck for next season.”
It’s not the first time Cole has made an appearance for Belstone.
Three years ago he starred for the Hertfordshire side in a decisive cup battle.
Cole, who won 56 England caps, played the first half and inspired the team to a 2-1 victory.
He said afterwards: “I’ve always loved playing and a big thank you to Aaron and @belstonefc for letting me play again on Saturday.
“It was good to dust off the cobwebs and my Sunday league team put me in good stead for this one.
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“I can’t wait to play again if you’ll have me, and I’ll even remember my own cleats next time.”
The match certainly brought back great memories for Cole.
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He began his career at West Ham and scored 13 goals in 150 appearances before joining Chelsea in 2004.
Cole scored 282 goals in 39 games for the Blues, winning three Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
He then spent time at Liverpool and was even loaned out to French side Lille before returning to West Ham.
Cole also played for Aston Villa and Coventry City before ending his career with American side Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2018.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
