Cole joined Chelsea from West Ham in the thrilling summer of 2003. He was regarded as a young player of prodigious talent who, with some honing, could reach the very top.

Under the guidance of first Claudio Ranieri and then Jose Mourinho, Cole did exactly that. The England international played a key role in our 2005, 2006, and 2010 title wins, along with the many cup successes we enjoyed during that period.

Several years after his Blues career came to an end, Cole spoke to Chelsea TV about his five best moments. His choices are hard to argue with, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Number five – Man United away, 2009/10

‘It was a real big game, a title decider really, one of those big games that come around April, May time. We knew it was do or die.

'Man United were actually in the driving seat, they only needed a draw, we needed to go there and win. Before the game, I pulled my back training on the Friday. I thought I had no chance of playing, but the medical team worked unbelievably hard with me until kick-off and I managed to get out on the pitch.

‘You sensed it was a big, tense affair, and we needed to break the deadlock. I managed to get the first goal, in at the near post and flicked it in. It’s instinct. It was a great goal and a massive moment, but your concentration has to be spot on to get the job done.

'We performed brilliantly from the first minute to the last, defended so well in the second half, and I think the title was won that day.’

Number four – Signing for the club, 2003

‘It happened really quickly. It was a crazy time at the club; there was such excitement. It was my dream to play for Chelsea as a kid. It was massively important to me. I couldn’t believe it. It was a whirlwind.

'I did my press conference with Seba [Veron] and what a lovely fella he was. He took the limelight off me, which was good, he was the big international superstar.

‘Claudio [Ranieri] had promised me the number ten shirt, but somebody else had promised it to Veron. My dad said I couldn’t sign for a club that lied to me on the first day! I thought it was going to mess the deal up, but somebody rang Claudio, he rang Seba, Seba was okay, it didn’t bother him.

'It was a last-minute melee and it did panic me the deal wouldn’t go through, but it all worked out in the end!’

Number three – League Cup final vs Liverpool, 2004/05

‘It was the first trophy we won together as a team against one of our biggest rivals at the time, Liverpool. The whole family were there, I must have had about 100 tickets! It was a great game. I loved playing at Cardiff, the atmosphere was amazing.

‘If you concede a goal, you want to do it in the first minute. We were dominant throughout, we had the beating of them. We left it late, and Kezman scored, I was pleased for him because he was a fantastic guy and he will always have that big moment even though things didn’t work out for him.

'To win the trophy, our first together, you think this is what football is all about. It was just elation afterwards.’

Number two – winning the league vs Bolton, 2004/05

‘It was an amazing day. The reason it’s number two is that we couldn’t properly celebrate because it was in between Champions League games. It was a surreal experience. It’s a big relief of tension when you win a title, it’s ten months of hard work day in, day out to do it, and it’s such an amazing feeling.

‘We did it at Bolton, which isn’t the most glamorous of places to do it, and nobody deserved the goals more than Frank [Lampard].

'I remember dancing in the dressing room at Bolton, it’s tiny, and I remember dancing on top of the bus. I don’t know what I was thinking! It was all wet with the champagne and I nearly slipped and fell off the bus. That would have been a hard one to explain to Jose [Mourinho] why I couldn’t play in the Champions League semi-final on the Tuesday!’

Number one – winning the league vs Man Utd, 2005/06

‘We had won the league the year before, but to do it on that particular day against your biggest rivals and in such convincing fashion, you couldn’t have written a better story.

'It was probably my favourite goal of my career, it was definitely one of the best. The sun was shining, it had that pub garden feel to it. The day seemed to glow for me. I scored the goal that put the nail in the coffin at 2-0. It was done then.

‘I think that was the best team I played in. I had never done this in a game before, but I remember for five or ten minutes just letting my mind go, taking in the sights, the crowd singing, the sun on your back, playing football.

'It’s what you dream of as a kid. I really took it in that day, which I’m pleased I did. And this time round we had a good party afterwards!’