Former left-back Ashley Cole was inducted into the English Premier League Hall of Fame this Monday. The former player played a total of 15 seasons in the league and won three titles. He started his career at Arsenal and moved to Chelsea in 2006, where he became an idol.
The English football legend received a medallion engraved with his name and the year of his inauguration, as well as a £10,000 donation made by the Premier League to a charity of his choice.
A generational defender is revered for his consistent excellence.
Ashley Cole is the first inductee of the 2024 #PLHallOfFame
💫 @TheRealAC3 pic.twitter.com/cE4TkuIt5P
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 25, 2024
Ashley Cole was a starter for the Invincibles, Arsenal’s record-breaking team that were undefeated English champions in the 2003/04 season. With the Gunners he also won the competition in 2002. In 2006, he moved to Chelsea, where he also became an idol and won the league in 2010.
In total, he made 385 Premier League appearances, contributed to 147 clean sheets, found the net 15 times and provided 31 assists. The Englishman spoke about being inducted into the Hall of Fame and did not hide his satisfaction with the achievement.
“I am honored to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It is an honor and a pleasure to be rewarded at the end of your career,” he said.
Ashley Cole recalled moments from her childhood and valued the trophies won.
“I spent my career just trying to do my best and be good enough. You do it day after day and game after game. As a kid you never dream about any of this and you just do it for the love of football. I played for some fantastic clubs with incredible fans. Winning trophies with my childhood club Arsenal and Chelsea are incredible memories that will always be with me.”
The former full-back also highlighted other legends who are in the English Championship Hall of Fame.
“It’s exciting to reflect because a lot of hard work has been done. To enter the Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand, I am privileged to be in their company.”
The moment Ashley Cole received his #PLHallOfFame medallion 🏅
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 25, 2024
Premier League executive chairman Richard Masters spoke about Ashley Cole and was full of praise for the Englishman.
“If you ask people who is the best full-back in Premier League history, many of them would name Ashley Cole. He stood out in the Arsenal and Chelsea title-winning teams and helped redefine the position thanks to his defensive and attacking qualities.”
“After excelling at Arsenal as a youngster, he will always be remembered as part of the iconic ‘Invincibles’ team whose achievements remain unprecedented to this day,” said Richard Masters. “He continued his winning ways at Chelsea, forming a key part of one of the highest scoring teams we have ever seen, and we are delighted to welcome them as the latest inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame.”
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
