Joe Cole Voted The Best Player This Season...

Chelsea supporters have voted Joe Cole the club's Player of the Year for 2008. In the award ceremony at Stamford Bridge yesterday, Cole finished ahead of the other two nominated players Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack.It's the first time Cole has collected the honour, which was presented by former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly.

In other awards, Juliano Belletti's 35-yard strike against Tottenham at the Bridge won Goal of the Season, sponsored by Chelsea TV, and handed over by all-time leading scorer Bobby Tambling.

The Samsung Players' Player Award, selected by the squad and coaches, went to Carvalho.

A special achievement award was handed to Frank Lampard by former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio in recognition of the midfielder's 100 Chelsea goals.

Former FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup winner John Dempsey was the recipient of special recognition award from John Terry for his Chelsea career that spanned 1969 to 1978 and his work running a children's home since.

Joe Cole joins the following list of Player or the Year winners:

1990 Ken Monkou

1991 Andy Townsend

1992 Paul Elliott

1993 Frank Sinclair

1994 Steve Clarke

1995 Erland Johnsen

1996 Ruud Gullit
1997 Mark Hughes

1998 Dennis Wise

1999 Gianfranco Zola

2000 Dennis Wise

2001 John Terry

2002 Carlo Cudicini

2003 Gianfranco Zola

2004 Frank Lampard

2005 Frank Lampard

2006 John Terry

2007 Michael Essien

2008 Joe Cole