Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Widely regarded as one of the best left-backs in history, Cole enjoyed an illustrious career in England’s top flight which saw him rack up 384 appearances and lift three Premier League titles.
Cole first got his hands on the trophy in the 2001/02 season with Arsenal and later added his second as part of the Invincibles in 2003/04, before his third and final Premier League title came with Chelsea in 2009/10.
“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 was part of Arsenal’s Invincibles / Richard Sellers/Allstar/GettyImages
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters added: “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.”
Every Premier League Hall of Fame inductee
| Player | Year |
|---|---|
| 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 |
