Ashley Cole won 107 caps for England, seventh on the all‑time list, but felt "discouraged" within the football pyramid from breaking out as a head coach.
Now in his first senior head coach role at Italian second‑division side Cesena, Cole has taken the first exciting opportunity offered to him, having previously assisted other managers while building his coaching education.
After completing his badges at Derby County under Frank Lampard, Cole went on to work in Chelsea's academy before further spells assisting managers at Everton, Birmingham City under Wayne Rooney, and within the England national team set‑up under Lee Carsley. He has built up nearly seven years of coaching experience.
However, a lack of head coach opportunities in England has led him back to Italy – where he played towards the end of his career with Roma – to take the reins at Cesena.
"I was getting kind of discouraged by a lack of opportunities, from some clubs in England I spoke to," Cole told BBC Sport.
"They like to throw the 'you don't have experience' line. And I'm like, I get what you're saying, I agree – but how am I going to get experience?
"That's the battle you have to fight as a number two for six or seven years – you have to take a leap of faith, but a club also has to take a leap of faith.
"I don't think there are too many black English coaches working in Italy, so yes, it is a massive leap of faith from them and I'm very proud to be here.
"It is a great place to be and to start. I'm glad I'm back. We're going to do something different – a bit special."
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Piadinas, a legendary former referee and speaking Italian
Arriving at his training session, Cole was all business, talking mostly in English while throwing in Italian phrases.
One local staff member was impressed by his willingness to tidy up the equipment, which he said was uncommon for a player who had enjoyed such a successful playing career.
To Cole, a former schoolboy from east London, that behaviour is normal. Even his new title – 'Mister', bestowed on all managers in Italy – is something he is still getting used to.
"I don't see myself above anyone at this club," he said. "Of course I have to be the leader of the group, but I'll pick up a cone."
Cole had some awareness of what he was arriving into in Emilia‑Romagna – nicknamed Italy's 'food valley' and famous for parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar from Modena and prosciutto di parma – with his wife Sharon Canu an important sounding board.
"I certainly didn't go looking for an Italian wife [when he joined Roma in 2014], but I came back with one," he joked.
"Sharon has been great for me. She's from Rome, but she understands that people in smaller cities really love the club where they live. I have to embrace that."
One example is Cole's routine of buying a five euro 'piadina' – an Italian flatbread sandwich – from a stall outside Cesena's stadium before his media conferences. The food stand also regularly feeds the squad after home matches.
In this working‑class town of fewer than 100,000 people, Cole's side are underdogs in Serie B – something he identifies with.
"I liked that the owners have a similar background to me – hard work, graft, underdogs nobody believed in – but they created a really successful business," he said.
"They also wanted someone to believe in them and give them a chance."
Cesena, like most Italian clubs, rent their stadium and training facilities from the local authority, but Cole has innovated where he can.
He created a video analysis room and uses a high-angle tactical camera to film his sessions, which he watches back in full every day.
"I came here thinking something had to change," Cole said. "We hadn't won away from home for a long time, so that had to change – it wasn't working.
"We'd gone a number of games without a win, so that had to change too. We needed higher intensity in training and matches. The style of football had to change.
"We had to be more adaptable to the different styles we come up against, and we needed more control in games through possession."
In his first media conference, Cole also called out Italy's failure to qualify for three consecutive World Cups as a sign they needed to be open to new styles of football, which he is implementing before a trip to face Palermo on Saturday.
Calls with Thierry Henry and the future
"Frank Lampard was so good – he was ahead of where I was after retiring," Cole admitted.
"You get that comparison with Frank and people ask why I didn't fall into a job. I wasn't ready. It's quite simple. I tried to put in the groundwork and make sure I was ready for this opportunity."
It has taken time for Cole to ready himself for the number one role. Calls with Thierry Henry, co-owner of high-flying Como in Serie A, are a regular occurrence.
Despite American backers of their own, Cesena are not as wealthy as Como and are taking a youth-led approach.
"The aim is to stay in the play‑offs now and get to Serie A in the long term," Cole said. "But if we got to Serie A now, in my opinion, we're not ready. We've got to push and believe, we need a better way of playing – but it won't happen overnight."
At Cole's former club Chelsea, Liam Rosenior – the first British black coach of a 'big six' club – has been labelled a trailblazer but Cole does not consider himself as one.
"It's clear there are a lot of ex‑black players but not a lot of ex‑black coaches. Are they doing their coaching badges? Yes, they are. Are they applying for jobs? Yes, they are," Cole said.
"That's clear – that's a fact. If that is the case, then for sure there is a problem. But I can't comment on things I don't know."
For now, Cole just wants to repay the faith rather than see Cesena as a stepping stone to home.
"I am not going to be a Jose Mourinho – I don't hold that stature or respect because I haven't won anything. Carlo Ancelotti is cool and calm – and a successful player and manager – so I can't be him. I can't be a Rafa Benitez.
"I have to take little bits from them, be myself and trust my process, and focus on Cesena. I want to work and hopefully, one day, I can win a trophy."
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