10 Who Did Nothing At Liverpool But Excelled For Their Country

8. Joe Cole

Joe Cole€™s time at Anfield was a complete and utter nightmare. Having penned a lucrative £90,000 p/wk contract with the Reds in the summer of 2010, Roy Hodgson assumed that he had signed the wing wizard who had terrorised Premier League defences for the last ten years. What turned up instead was a lazy, disinterested injury-plagued has-been who quickly made everyone realise why Chelsea were so desperate to offload him in the first place. 26 surly appearances were churned out for the Reds, with a meagre three Premier League strikes to show for his €˜efforts€™ before moving back to Upton Park in a vain bid at recapturing the spark. Hodgson shouldn€™t really be blamed for his eagerness at snaffling up the Chelsea wide-man - after all, his performances for both Chelsea and England over the years had put his reputation in good stead. Indeed, in the weeks prior to his Anfield move, there appeared to be a controversy in the England World Cup camp, with captain John Terry publicly calling for his friend€™s inclusion in the starting XI. Cole has appeared in three World Cups, although his 2006 World Cup showing was book-ended by bit-part substitute roles in both 2002 and 2010. In Germany, however, Cole was one of the Three Lions€™ best players, producing a virtuoso display against Sweden where he volleyed home an incredible long-range effort before assisting Steven Gerrard€™s late strike. Indeed, it was the build-up to the World Cup that had enhanced Cole€™s reputation, firing winning goals past the likes of Wales to affirm his position on the left-hand side of midfield. During his nine years involved in the England set-up, Cole amassed an impressive 56 caps, and has ten strikes to show for it. A regular starter he may not always have been, when he was on form he was a terror for nearly any full-back in Europe.