Posted on June 21, 2006 by Paul Mirengoff

Before Wayne Rooney

and after Michael Owen, Joe Cole was the golden teenager of English football. Unlike Owen and Rooney, it took Cole a while to break through, but he’s kicking down the door at the World Cup. Playing in a midfield with three world class stars — Lampard, Gerrard, and Beckham — the 24 year-old Cole has been the pick of the group, and indeed the pick of the English squad. His man-of-match performance in yesterday’s 2-2 draw against Sweden included a goal and an assist. The goal was a wonder-strike, easily the best I’ve seen in the tournament.

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