Lewis Cook

At 27 years old, Lewis Cook has this physical status:

Lewis John Cook (born 3 February 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth and the English national team.

Cook is a graduate of Leeds United's academy.

He has represented England at various youth levels.

He has won the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2018 Toulon Tournament with his country, captaining the team in the latter two tournaments.

Early life

Cook was born in York, North Yorkshire. He attended Tadcaster Grammar School, playing for their football teams from under-13 to under-15 level.

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Club career

Cook came from Leeds United Academy and was playing for the under-18s team when he was just 15 years old. In the FA Youth Cup, Cook scored in a 3–1 loss against Liverpool under 18s on March 1, 2013 at Anfield for Leeds under-18s.

Cook made his first-team debut for Leeds United in the first match of the season, against Millwall, scoring 64th minutes. He made his first appearance for Leeds on August 12, 2014, in the League Cup match against Accrington Stanley. On August 30, he made his first league appearance against Watford. Cook was one of the first names on the teamsheet for Leeds, becoming part of a homegrown team with Sam Byram, Alex Mowatt, and Charlie Taylor. He suffered an ankle injury while on international service on March 28, 2015, which barred him from participating in any of the season's final matches.

Head coach Neil Redfearn, who rumoured Premier League involvement in Cook and colleagues Sam Byram, Alex Mowatt, and Charlie Taylor, pleaded with Leeds United's owners on Sunday to keep track of their homegrown talent. Cook received the Championship Apprentice of the Year award for the 2014–15 season on April 19th. Cook was named runner-up to winner Alex Mowatt for the Yorkshire Evening Post Player of the Year award for the 2014–15 season on May 1, 2015. He received Leeds' Young Player of the Year Award on May 2nd and finished as runner-up to Alex Mowatt in the Fans' Player of the Year Award at the club's formal end of season awards ceremony on May 2nd.

Cook agreed a new deal with Leeds on May 11, 2015, tying him to the club until June 2017. He scored his first Leeds goal against Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup on August 12, 2015, but Leeds was later suspended in the first half for a straight red card, with Leeds losing 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Cook was banned for three matches as a result of the red card. Leeds boss Steve Evans revealed on January 7, 2016 that they had turned down bids for Cook and that club owner Massimo Cellino had promised him that the player would not be sold. In a 1–1 home draw against Fulham on February 24, Cook scored 35 yards shy to score his first league goal for Leeds.

Cook received the Football League Young Player of the Year Award on April 17th. Cook missed out on Player of the Year to Charlie Taylor at the club's annual Player of the Year Awards dinner on April 30, 2016, but he was named Young Player of the Year for the 2015–16 season. In addition to that, he was given the award for Goal of the Season for his effort against Fulham. Massimo Cellino, Leeds' owner, reported on June 15 that he had begun talks with Cook's agent regarding the player's contract extension.

Cook joined AFC Bournemouth in a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee on July 8, 2016. In their first match of the 2016–17 Premier League, he made his debut on Sunday after losing 3–1 at home to Manchester United. Cook made two more appearances in the League Cup before being forced to wait until 2017 due to a persistent ankle injury. Cook returned to the first team on April 15, 2017, as a 56th-minute replacement in a 4–0 away loss to Tottenham Hotspur. In a 4-2 victory over Reading on November 21, 2020, he scored his first goal for Bournemouth.

International career

Cook was a member of England's national under-17 team that won the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in May 2014, starting three of England's five matches, including the semi-final and the final, in May 2014. He was called up to the under-18 squad for a match against the Netherlands in August 2014.

Cook was called up to Sean O'Driscoll's under-19 squad to face Denmark, Azerbaijan, and France in the last three remaining European Under-19 Championship qualifiers in March 2015. He made his England debut on March 28th, playing 79 minutes against Azerbaijan in a 1–0 victory for England before being replaced by Charlie Colkett. Cook had to pull from the squad after suffering an ankle injury against Azerbaijan, ensuring a match against France. Garry Monk, the team's coach, was forced to be out of the squad for the 2016 European Under-19 Championship, wishing to work with him for a full pre-season.

Cook was selected for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup under 20's, and he was appointed captain. He appeared in six of England's seven England matches, but only for the match against South Korea. In a 1–1 draw against Guinea, he scored his first goal in an international match. England won the final, beating Venezuela 1–0, marking England's first victory in a global tournament since 1966, and Cook became the first England captain to lift a world trophy since Bobby Moore.

Cook was called up by the senior team for the first time in November 2017 for a friendly against Brazil. In March 2018, he was included in the England squad for the pre-2016 FIFA World Cup friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy. In a 1–1 draw at Wembley Stadium, he made his 71st-minute replacement on his debut against the latter on March 27.

He was one of five players selected on standby for England's 23-man national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on May 16th.

Cook was named up to England U21s by manager Aidy Boothroyd on May 18, with Cook as Captain for the 2018 Toulon Tournament, with England's squad featuring fixtures against Qatar, China, and Mexico. Cook began on September 9th, 2018, captaining England to victory in the tournament by a 2–1 win.

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