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Former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame on Monday.
During a 15-season career, Cole won three Premier League titles, and he was a part of Arsenal's 2003/2204 invincibles. The former English left-back overall made 385 Premier League appearances, managed to keep 147 clean sheets, struck the net 15 times, and registered 31 assists. Cole came through Arsenal's academy ranks and made a switch to Chelsea in 2006. He announced his retirement from football in 2019. "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. Being a boyhood Arsenal fan, I was living out a dream just pulling on the shirt and playing for the first team. Playing in front of amazing fans so close to the pitch at Highbury, so intimate and for me one of the most beautiful stadiums," he said, as quoted from Arsenal's official website. "Winning my first Premier League title was certainly special. To lift that trophy in front of my friends and family and celebrate with your teammates after a gruelling 38-game season is amazing. That feeling is hard to explain. Growing up, all I knew was loving Arsenal Football Club," he added. Cole, who played a part in Arsenal's invincible season, reflected on their record breaking season that came 20 years ago. "We played with a finesse and a freedom within the team, but we certainly had some fighters in there who never gave up. You need something special to come back when you're 1-0 down, or 2-1 down or 2-0 down," Cole said. "To show that focus, the mentality, the grit, and the determination to actually get over the line and do it is historic. For me, as an Arsenal fan, you can't fathom it. You can't believe we actually did that, and we went through the whole season without losing a game," Cole added. While commenting on Cole's recent achievement, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed Cole for the performances that he produced during his remarkable career. "He has spent a lot of time in the Premier League and always with success, so overall he has his just rewards. He's honestly one of the few players who I always say that moved on and continued to develop, and that shows remarkable intelligence and remarkable consistency in the effort. It's always difficult to make a hierarchy, but he's certainly the best left-back," Wenger said. Cole is the eighth former Arsenal star to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. He joins the elite company of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Ian Wright, Tony Adams and Petr Cech. (ANI)
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