Charlie Cooke

After playing at youth level for Port Glasgow and Renfrew Juniors, Cooke began his professional career with Aberdeen in 1960, making his first team debut on 13 August in a 4–3 Scottish League Cup victory over Ayr United. He moved to Dundee in December 1964, where he was voted player of the year. He signed for Chelsea in April 1966 for a then club record of £72,000 as part of manager Tommy Docherty's restructuring of the Chelsea side. He made his debut in May 1966 during a 2–0 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup win over FC Barcelona. On his league debut the following season against West Ham United, Cooke waltzed past England's World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore en route to scoring the winner for Chelsea. Cooke took the place of Bert Murray on the right wing as several players were replaced owing to a growing rift between Docherty and his players. He proved a versatile player when the post World Cup tactics limited the use of wingers and he was often played in a deeper right midfield position behind Tommy Baldwin who had replaced George Graham in a direct swap between Chelsea and Arsenal. His debut season saw Chelsea reach the FA Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur (Cooke's cross had created Tony Hateley's winner for Chelsea in the semi-final against Leeds United). Cooke had a shot tipped over the bar by Pat Jennings early on, but Chelsea generally underperformed and lost 2–1. In the early 1970s, Cooke was one of the star players in a flamboyant Chelsea side, alongside Peter Bonetti,…

Cooke was a Scotland international, winning 16 caps. He made his debut in a 4–1 win over Wales in 1965 and played his final match in 1975 against Portugal. He also won 5 caps for the under-23 side between 1962 and 1968.

In 1979, he replaced his old Chelsea teammate, Eddie McCreadie, as the head coach of the Memphis Rogues. After new ownership moved the team to Calgary, Cooke himself moved to the California Surf where he played one last outdoor season. After this however, he continued to play in the indoor leagues, making his last appearance in the 1985–86 season for the Dallas Sidekicks, after which he took charge of the Wichita Wings. He now runs a soccer school in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2006, his autobiography The Bonnie Prince, written with Martin Knight, was published.

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