Ashley Cole reveals pride ahead of 100th England cap in Brazil friendly

Ashley Cole becomes England's seventh centurion at Wembley on Wednesday still scarcely able to believe his journey from the East End to international star.

Talent

What Cole was about was fulfilling a talent that has had him acknowledged as one of the truly world class England players in an era when too many have been championed as such without living up to their billing. Of his 99 international appearances, every one has been as a starter. He has featured in five major tournaments - one short of Sol Campbell's record - and should he play in next year's World Cup finals Cole would become the first England player to appear on the greatest stage on four occasions. But while his achievement compares with those of Beckham and Gerrard, he has faced booing from fans, specifically during a victory over Kazhakstan at Wembley in 2008. Two years later he was being crowned Three Lions player of the year. The public perception evidently bothered him earlier in his career. Now he just accepts it. "I don't want to sit here and keep going on about wanting to be loved," he said. "In football you can't always have it your own way. You can't always have the good times. You are going to have bad spells and periods when you are not playing well. "Fans booing me is normal now. It is something I have to deal with. I have learned to deal with it. I have gone past the stage where it fazes me. It is something that comes with the job now."