Left defender Ashley Cole was born on December 12, 1980, and has been with Arsenal since age 9. His first team debut for Arsenal came in November 1999, a few weeks before his 19th birthday. He won a starting spot in the team during the 2000-2001 season, and his excellent performance won him the Carling Young Player of the Season award. In the 2001-2002 season he continued to impress, helping Arsenal win the double for the third time. So far he's played 75 games for the first team and scored 5 goals.
Cole got his first chance with the English first team in 2001 and soon became the first choice for his position. He has played 13 international games, including all of England's games in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, without scoring a goal. Given his young age, he is expected to be a staple in both the Arsenal and England defense for many years to come.
Sources: www.arsenal.com, fifaworldcup.yahoo.com