Former West Ham United star Carlton Cole has shared the story of how he lost new teammate Carlos Tevez in a London casino not long after the Argentina international moved to London.
Cole had joined the Hammers in July 2006, completing a move from boyhood club Chelsea just weeks after Alan Pardew's side had lost in the final of the FA Cup. The following month, however, the move was overshadowed by a dramatic deadline-day swoop which saw Tevez and compatriot Javier Mascherano rock up at Upton Park.
Manager Pardew hailed the signings as the kinds of deal which could take West Ham to the "next level", but by the end of the season Tevez was scoring the goal which kept the team in the Premier League and Mascherano had already left for Liverpool. Before then, though, Tevez had an inauspicious start to life in London, with Cole playing a part.
"I picked him up, he wanted to see the lights of London and I was the main man for that at the time," Cole said. "He said he wanted to go to the casino and I picked him up with my cousin and took him to the casino. "
The 38-year-old was speaking at Masters Football and bookmakers.com 's 'Evening With the Hammers' event in London, along with former West Ham captain Julian Dicks. And, in his discussion of the Tevez episode, he recalled his amusement upon picking up his new teammate.
"He came out of the Four Seasons hotel and this geezer just looked like Tony Montana," Cole said. "He had a black shirt on with a white blazer, with the black collars over the blazer. It was hilarious. He had his hair slicked back with an alice band, he just looked the part. What a guy he was.
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The former Boca Juniors striker was a big name in his home country, having helped Argentina win Olympic gold in 2004. However, it quickly became apparent that West Ham's new star was just as well-regarded in his new home.
"We took him out, took him to a club called Chinawhite too," Cole said. "That was when I knew he was famous too. I knew of him, obviously, but that was when I started to know he was loved, because everyone gravitated towards him.
"And I'm talking about everyone. Birds, the waiters, everyone just wanted a picture with him, so I was like 'he is actually a big deal'."
Things went south a little later in the evening, though, leaving Cole in a panic about how he'd explain things to Pardew. "He had a good time, it got to about one o'clock and I lost him," the former England international revealed.
"We were worried. I had just taken him out, we'd had a few drinks and this geezer is missing! How was I going to explain this to the gaffer? I have lost our prized asset! Everyone is going to think I had done it on purpose!
"I phoned him and thankfully he was home. He got home, but this was like five o'clock in the morning. I was ringing him and ringing him and he wouldn't answer his phone. He answered at five and said he had just got in. So whatever he was doing, I don't know! He was doing something!"
On the pitch, meanwhile, Cole came off the bench during Tevez's West Ham debut, while the pair started together for the first time in September 2006 as West Ham were eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Palermo. Tevez ended the season with seven goals - all in the Premier League - while Cole netted twice in the league and once in the FA Cup.
However, while Tevez left after just one season, joining Manchester United, Cole remained a West Ham player well into the following decade. He played his final game for the club in May 2015, having scored 68 times for the London side.
Cole eventually retired in 2018 after spells in Scotland, the United States and Indonesia. Tevez, meanwhile, has been linked with a sensational return to top-flight football at the age of 38.
