Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole recently signed for Tampa Bay Rowdies, thus bringing his career in England to an end.

Regarded as one of the talented players of his generation in the England national team, Cole’s demise from the top levels of the game has been surprising. He has won the Premier league and FA Cup trophies three times in his career aside from being the runners up in the Champions League 2007-08 season. However, injuries have prevented him from making a major impact since the 2008-09 season. Since leaving Chelsea at the end of the 2009-10 campaign, Cole has played for Liverpool, Lille, West Ham, Aston Villa, and Coventry City.

He has just left League One outfit Coventry City to join the North American leagues. Tampa Bay Rowdies are not part of the MLS. Hence, Cole will be playing in one division lower than the likes of his former England teammates Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who are part of MLS clubs. Cole made 22 appearances for Coventry City and scored two goals.

He claims that he is joining Tampa Bay Rowdies to start a new chapter in his career which may hopefully yield some trophies. Cole revealed that he made the decision to join Tampa Bay in just two days after witnessing the facilities.

“I’d just like to thank everyone for the warm welcome, my family and I are excited to be here. I started talking with Bill [Edwards] and Stu [Stuart Campbell] about six months ago. I came to a game and everyone was just so welcoming.I want to be here for the start of something big. I want to win championships. There’s nothing bigger in football that winning. The aim is to win championships. That’s the plan,” said Cole. Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell expressed his delight at being able to sign a player like Cole.