 |
| tujuan dan assist: Joe Cole tentang bagaimana Tampa Bay Rowdies mengembalikan kecintaannya pada sepak bola. |
Goal - The former Premier League star admits his love for the sport had stalled until he went to the new tropical surroundings across the Atlantic Ocean.
Joe Cole counts the 76th minute of the 4-1 win versus Southend, on 14 January 2009, as a pivotal moment in his career as his cruciate ligament injury changed the way he trained, and played, forever.
His speed of thought remained in tact, as did his love of the game, but after a free transfer to Liverpool he soon realised that his late career would be beset with injuries and that he would struggle to handle the demands of top level football. Agen Sakong
The much-loved son of an East London market trader was pushing himself to make an impact at Anfield where he suffered a reoccurrence of his knee problems. Cole's journey took him to Lille to play alongside Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet, then to Coventry City and Aston Villa, dropping down the English leagues to continue his career.
He has now made as many appearances for Tampa Bay in 13 months he had done in the two years before it in England, and says the tropical heat of Florida has brought back much of what he had lost.
"For sure [I doubted myself in England]," Cole told Goal at the Tampa Museum of Art. "My knee injury in my last season at Chelsea was a big factor in that. It was a big game changer for me as a player and getting back to my top level after that was proving difficult.
"I was breaking down, the more I pushed myself, the more I broke down. I basically now think, less is more. I cut a lot of stuff out. I train when I feel good, I listen to my body. I am getting better and better. I feel as good now as when I was 30, while I am still enjoying it, I will keep playing.
"You eat better naturally in this sort of climate. You eat fresh fish and vegetables. You are out in the pool a lot, walking, keeping your body moving. All these factors led to better health. Agen Sakong
"This option just came out of the blue really. I wasn’t really looking for it. When I left Aston Villa, my body let me down. My mind still wanted to play football but it didn’t know whether my body could. I went to Coventry to see if I still had the joy and the love of the game.
"I wanted to see if my body would also let me. It did and I changed a few things in my preparation. This came out of the blue, I came out for a holiday here and it just looked great so it was a good decision.
( SI / AK )
EmoticonEmoticon