Football-The Coles leave after honeymooning on Frégate Island |28 July 2006

The couple got married on Saturday July 15 this year in what was dubbed, “the celebrity magazine wedding of the year.”

Attempts by Sports Nation to speak to the player or even have his photo taken yesterday were in vain

Cole made the grades at Arsenal which he joined when still a teenager. He signed as a professional on February 25, 2000 and made his debut for the first team as a striker on November 30, 1999 against Middlesbrough at the age of 18.

After spending the 1999–2000 season on loan at Crystal Palace, playing 14 league matches and scoring one goal that ultimately saved Palace from relegation, Cole replaced injured Brazilian left-back Silvinho in autumn 2000 in the Arsenal starting 11.

With Arsenal, Cole has won the Premiership twice – in 2002 and 2004 – and the FA Cup three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. After a long lay-off through injury this year, Cole returned to the Arsenal line-up for the UEFA Champions League final which Arsenal lost 0-1 to Barcelona.

The 25-year-old left-back has been constantly linked with a big-money move to Chelsea and on Tuesday this week Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitted for the first time that Cole could leave the club this summer.

Cole has played for England at youth and senior levels. He was capped for the England U-20 team at the 1999 Fifa World Youth Championship and made four appearances for England under-21s, scoring once.

The defender made his senior England début against Albania, on March 28, 2001 under coach Sven Goran Erikson. He played for England at the 2002 World Cup and Euro-2004 and was named as one of four England players in the all-star squad for the latter tournament.

Cole, who has 50 caps for England and has never scored an international goal, was also an ever-present for England in the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany as they reached the quarterfinals

Cole is the third footballer who played in this year’s World Cup to have visited Seychelles in recent weeks.
Portuguese Tiago Mendes left the country on Monday after a week-long stay but before leaving he gave an interview which was published in yesterday’s issue of Seychelles Nation.

Spanish defensive-midfielder Xabi Alonso who plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League, also holidayed here in mid-July.

G. G.