Photos: Getty Images; The Athletic. Design: Eamonn Dalton
Jake Cooper is Millwall’s captain and has been at the club for almost a decade.
Towards the latter stages of their 2025-26 season, they found themselves firmly in the promotion mix, with Cooper dreaming of leading his side to the Premier League for the first time.
In conversations in coffee shops, his family home, a hotel and at Millwall’s training ground over the course of the past four months, The Athletic joined him for every step of the rollercoaster ride that ended with heartbreak in the play-offs’ semi-finals this week.
This article tells the story of that period, the twists and turns along the way, and what life looks like for an EFL player.
