Italian football fans enjoy a trip to the airport. Big signings from abroad are routinely mobbed by masses of excited supporters clad in club merchandise with camera phones at the ready upon touching down on the peninsula, with those present desperate to steal a glimpse of their new defensive rock, midfield maestro or goal-getting frontman.

Ashley Cole was one player who received such a reception at Rome Fiumicino back in July 2014: hundreds of Roma followers were on hand to welcome the former England international to the Italian capital as he jetted in to sign for the Giallorossi following the expiration of his Chelsea contract, with Cole’s suited entourage forced to protect the left-back as he passed through the terminal to continue his journey to the Pope’s official hospital for his medical.





That was just 16 months ago, but it is possible that Cole will not even be recognised on his next trip to Rome’s major airport. A man widely regarded as one of his country’s greatest ever defenders who was such a model of consistency throughout his time in the Premier League has virtually disappeared off the football map, condemned to the wilderness in the autumn of his career.

There is no mention of Cole on Roma’s official website, and he has yet to appear in a single matchday squad in any competition this season after being frozen out by manager Rudi Garcia. His refusal in August to cancel his contract a year early has not endeared him to the club’s hierarchy, while the same supporters who gathered to greet him with such enthusiasm last summer now find themselves ruing a costly mistake. It has been quite the fall from grace.

When in Rome





Cole’s final season at Chelsea was a disappointing one, with Cesar Azpilicueta establishing himself as Jose Mourinho’s first-choice left-back at Stamford Bridge. Despite the Spaniard’s fine displays, there was still a sense of unease at Cole’s omission – the then 33-year-old started just six Premier League games between the start of November and the end of the 2013/14 campaign – and many felt Chelsea should have done more to keep him in West London. Once it became clear that Cole would be leaving the Blues after eight trophy-laden years, his decision to choose Roma as his next employers was widely praised; rather than immediately heading to Major League Soccer, the former Arsenal man was commended for joining a major club expected to challenge for honours in a competitive European league.





“English players are probably scared to come abroad,” Cole said at his introductory press-conference. “Our players are in the comfort zone in England. It’s where we grew up, where we starting played for our youth team, and most of us never left.

“When I heard I had the chance to come to a big club in Italy it was something I wanted to do. Clubs abroad don’t come in for English players as much as people think. I’ve never been out of London so this is a big opportunity for me to try a different language, a different culture and a different way of living.”

Outsider

A now infamous team photo emerged a few weeks later, in which Cole was seen lurking alone on the outside of the group. Amateur analysis of body language in football is often overplayed, but there was something telling about the distance between Cole and his team-mates and the shy, unassuming figure cut by a player who was often publically enemy number one in England for a perceived arrogant attitude and supercilious self-opinion.

On the pitch, things began well enough but quickly took a turn for the worse. Cole started four of Roma’s opening five Serie A matches as the Giallorossi stormed to the top of the table with a 100 percent winning record, before being brought back down to earth with a thud after a scarring 7-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in October.

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