Chelsea fullback Ashley Cole says he's in the best form of his career.

"I was playing s**t," is his simple explanation of the mis-spent years, plagued by an ankle injury that he picked up at Arsenal and reluctant to undergo surgery so soon after Jose Mourinho convinced him that his future in football lay elsewhere.

"Now I'm happy with the way things are going,' he added. 'This is the best I have felt, not just here but at Arsenal as well. I'm playing with a smile on my face again."

Cole has learned to deal with the outrageous abuse he received when he made a mistake that led to Kazakhstan scoring at Wembley in last October's World Cup qualifier.

"Everyone knows that stuff against Kazakhstan wasn't about football, so there is nothing I can do," he admitted after Chelsea's 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final. All I can do is try to show people that I can play well and try to change their opinion.

"I'm enjoying my football the most I ever have in my career and if I continue to play well then I will change people's minds.

"I want to continue to win things, hopefully something with England and if I can score the winning goal at the World Cup then maybe they will like me again."