Former
Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has been inducted into the Premier
League Hall of Fame.
The former England international, widely regarded as the best left-back in
Premier League history, won three titles across a 15-year career in the
top-flight.
Cole, the 22nd inductee into the Hall of Fame, was part of Arsenal's famous
Invincibles that won the title in 2003/04, still the only side in league
history to go unbeaten for a whole season.
Having come through Arsenal's academy, Cole signed for Chelsea in 2006 and
won his third Premier League title in 2009/10 as Carlo Ancelotti's side
scored a then-record 103 goals.
"I'm honoured to join the Premier League Hall of Fame. It's humbling and
fulfilling to be rewarded at the end of your career," said Cole.
"I went through my career just trying to give my best and be good enough.
You take it day by day and game by game. As a young kid, you never dream of
any of this and you just do it for the love of the game of football.
"I played for some fantastic clubs with incredible fans. Winning trophies
with my boyhood club Arsenal and with Chelsea are amazing memories that will
always be with me.
"It's emotional to reflect because a lot of hard work has been put in. To
join the Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry,
Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand, I'm privileged to be in their company."
Cole finished his Premier League career with a win rate of 62 per cent,
keeping 147 clean sheets in 385 appearances. The full-back also scored 15
goals and provided 31 assists.
Premier League Hall of Fame inductees
Alan Shearer (2021)
Thierry Henry (2021)
Eric Cantona (2021)
Roy Keane (2021)
David Beckham (2021)
Dennis Bergkamp (2021)
Frank Lampard (2021)
Steven Gerrard (2021)
Patrick Vieira (2022)
Wayne Rooney (2022)
Ian Wright (2022)
Peter Schmeichel (2022)
Paul Scholes (2022)
Didier Drogba (2022)
Vincent Kompany (2022)
Sergio Aguero (2022)
Sir Alex Ferguson (2023)
Arsene Wenger (2023)
Rio Ferdinand (2023)
Petr Cech (2023)
Tony Adams (2023)
Ashley Cole (2024)
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "If you ask people for
the best full-back in Premier League history, many of them would name Ashley
Cole. He excelled for title-winning Arsenal and Chelsea sides and helped to
redefine the position thanks to his defensive and attacking qualities.
"After breaking through as a youngster at Arsenal, he will always be
remembered as part of the iconic 'Invincibles' team, whose achievements
remain unprecedented to this day.
"He continued his winning ways at Chelsea, forming a key part of one of the
highest-scoring sides we have ever seen, and we are delighted to welcome him
as the latest inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame."
The stats behind Cole's magnificent PL
career
- Ashley Cole made 385 Premier League appearances between 2000 and 2014,
winning three Premier League titles - two with Arsenal (2001/02, 2003/04)
and one with Chelsea (2009/10).
- He was directly involved in 46 goals from left-back - only two defenders
had more goals and assists combined during the same time period, while only
Leighton Baines assisted more goals.
- Only three defenders registered more than Cole's 147 clean sheets (John
Terry, Jamie Carragher and Rio Ferdinand) between his first and last
appearances, while it was the most of any full-back in that time.
- During his time at Chelsea between 2006/07 and 2013/14, Cole ranked in the
top-five for chances created, (overall and in open play) tackles and
successful passes (overall and in the opposition half) among Premier League
defenders.
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