FORMER Newcastle United favourite Andrew Cole has become one of the latest players to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Cole, who spent two successful years with the Magpies before leaving to join Manchester United, was selected from a shortlist of 15 former players by fans worldwide through an online public vote and the Premier League Awards Panel.
The former striker joins fellow England internationals Ashley Cole and John Terry who have also received the league’s highest individual honour this year. The trio will be recognised at a celebratory event in London.
The Hall of Fame celebrates individuals who have an exceptional record of success and have made a significant contribution to the Premier League since its inception in 1992.
One of the Premier League’s best-ever strikers, Cole scored 187 goals and provided 73 assists in 414 Premier League appearances. He ranks fourth on the league’s all-time goalscoring charts, with his goal tally all the more remarkable given that just one of them came from the penalty spot.
Having helped Newcastle win promotion after joining in the second half of the 1992-93 season, Cole won the 1993-94 Golden Boot with 34 goals for the Magpies in their first season in the Premier League, racing to 50 Premier League goals inside just 65 games.
He moved to Manchester United in January 1995 for a record British transfer fee and flourished under the guidance of manager Sir Alex Ferguson, winning five Premier League titles with the Red Devils, including three in a row between 1998 and 2001.
Cole played a pivotal role in Manchester United's historic Treble-winning campaign in 1998-99, forming a dynamic partnership with Dwight Yorke as they scored 53 goals between them in all competitions.
READ MORE:
- Newcastle finalise sporting director timetable - and Dan Ashworth plans
- What do Newcastle have to do to qualify for Europe - and how might that change?
After leaving Manchester United in 2001, Cole continued his Premier League career with Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth and Sunderland, before announcing his retirement in 2008.
Cole said: “I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved in football, which is thanks to my family, my coaches and my team-mates, and being inducted into the Hall of Fame makes me very proud.
“Football is a game of ups and downs, but I enjoyed every single minute of my career. My dad wanted me to play cricket, but I said, ‘No dad, I think I’m good at football.’ Looking back at my career always fills me with great pride and puts a smile on my face.
“The reason you play football and compete at the highest level is to win major honours. It was so, so special for me to win so many trophies and five Premier Leagues. To get my first one was crazy and after that I just wanted to win more.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here