AT 16, A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGE SAID I WAS ON £5,000 A WEEK IT WASN'T TRUE.IT CHANGED THE COURSE OF MY LIFE

Joe Cole went from wonderkid to Premier League winner, via showdowns with Abramovich and Sven, plus a phone call from Fergie. To coincide with his new book, he sits down with FFT to tell his story, in his own words

- Chris Flanagan

Many kids come from council estates, but not many came from a council estate in Camden Town, when Britpop was at its peak. It was the '90s, Oasis were huge and Noel Gallagher would go to the boozer with a couple of my cousins. I knew where he lived, so one day, I thought we'd knock on his door and ask if he fancied a kickabout. His partner wasn't too pleased, but Noel came out and had a little chat with us. I've been to five Oasis gigs this year, and he's always remembered me from that day. Once, he told me, "You were 14, asking me for a kickabout, then a few years later I saw you popping up on Soccer AM!"

My mum and dad weren't really football people, and I didn't play my first game of organised football until I was around 11 years old. People are fascinated by that. I was a Chelsea supporter because my mate at school supported Chelsea, but I wasn't brought up with my dad showing me videos of players.

I was a bit of a loner as a child, and I'd be around the estate all day and all night, playing football - my fascination came when I was playing up against a wall. I could be there for hours. Can I spin it? Can I do this trick or that trick? By the time I was nine, I could do 900 keepie-uppies because of hours and hours of practice - although it didn't feel like practice, it was just play.

When the other kids came along, I'd play against them - sometimes they'd be older, bigger and stronger, and I'd have to work out that problem. Getting kids into organised football is great, but learning by playing against bigger boys shaped the way I was as a footballer. I was self-taught and the way I started playing football gave me the freedom - it helped me become the player that I became. I was quite unique.