Ashley Cole inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, becoming the 22nd inductee.

Cole, regarded as the best PL left-back and one of the greatest of all time, had broken out with the Gunners, making over 200 appearances for the North Londoners.

He won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles in his early days with Arsenal. He was part of the record-breaking invincibles Arsenal team that went unbeaten through the 2003/04 season, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the league before a contentious move to the other side of London.

Cole joined Chelsea in 2006 with many Arsenal fans accusing him of betrayal, but that didn’t matter as he went on to make 338 appearances for the Blues, winning the Premier League two times and the FA Cup four more times.

The 43-year-old added the League Cup, Champions League, and Europa League titles to his incredible resume. He made the PFA Team of the Year four times and was Chelsea’s Players’ Player of the Year twice. 

Cole was a tenacious and defensively sound defender forged by battles against five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. He could also get forward with his pace and helped the attack whenever he could.

Across his 15 seasons in the English top-flight, the former England international made 385 league appearances, helping to keep 147 clean sheets while bagging 15 goals and 31 assists. 

Cole is the first of three 2024 inductees to the Hall of Fame, and former Blue Eden Hazard is also one of the top contenders to be inducted. 

They will join former midfielder Frank Lampard and goalkeeper Petr Cech, who have already been named into the HOF. Striker Didier Drogba was part of the 2023 batch as the PL looks to honour some of the best ever.