London, Nov 3 (ANI): Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has said that his club must win the Champions League before they can compare themselves with Manchester United, Barcelona or AC Milan.

He admits Europe's premier club competition has become the club's Holy Grail after more near misses than he cares to remember.

"It's so important for Chelsea as a football club to win the Champions League. If we are building ourselves up as a club as big as United, Madrid, Barcelona or Milan, then we have to win major trophies," The Sun quoted Cole, as saying.

"Everything else is already in place - the players, the manager, the whole set-up is fantastic. But the Champions League will help us as a worldwide club, to show that we're here to do the business.

"The Premier League will always be very important to Chelsea, but the Champions League has now become a massive target for us all. We have come very close in the last five years and maybe we should have won it on a couple of occasions," he added.

Cole was on the bench when Chelsea lost the 2008 final on penalties to Manchester United in Moscow.

And he was sidelined by a knee injury when they infamously went out snarling to Barcelona in last season's semi-finals.

Cole added: "That Barcelona match at the Bridge was the most difficult of all the games for me to watch during my injury because I was convinced it was going to be our year in Europe. But it didn't happen for us and it hurt me as much as it hurt every other Chelsea fan."

Blues face Atletico Madrid tonight with Didier Drogba available after completing his three-match UEFA ban. (ANI)