Chelsea’s Joe Cole says the London club must win the Champions League before they can take their place amongst the elite clubs of Europe.

Cole has just returned to the Blues first team after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury and is in the squad for the trip to Atletico Madrid.

Cole was injured in last season’s FA Cup tie against Southend

Despite winning the Premier League in 2005 and 2006, Chelsea have yet to secure European club football’s biggest prize. This season, they’ve made a fine start to the campaign winning their opening three fixtures without conceding a goal and Cole says its time to go all the way.

Speaking before the clash in the Spanish capital, Cole said:

Chelsea are building a genuine claim to be as big as the Manchester Uniteds, the Real Madrids, the Milans but you have to win trophies.

It’s important for the club, we need to win the Champions League.

Obviously the Premier League is very important but for this club the Champions League is a massive target for us. We’ve not won it yet.

The Champions League is going to help show us as a worldwide club that means business.

We’ve come close over the last five years and we probably should have won it on a few occasions.

We have the right people in charge, we have the experience now and we have to come to places like this and win, that’s the challenge for us.

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