Former Chelsea left-back, Ashley Cole has described his induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame as an “honour”.
Earlier today, March 25, Ashley Cole became the 22nd Premier League Hall of Fame inductee after having an unprecedented career at Chelsea and Arsenal.
Cole started his professional football career at Arsenal in 1999 and left for Chelsea in 2006 where he solidified his legacy as one of the best left-backs in the world.
The 43-year-old retired England international won three Premier League titles in his career, twice at Arsenal, and once at Chelsea.
After joining football icons like Alan Shearer, Didier Drogba, Sergio Aguero, and Thierry Henry in the Premier League Hall of Fame, Ashley Cole said: “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.
“I went through my 20-year career span 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.”
He added, “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.”
Meanwhile, Ashley Cole, who is one of the most fearless defenders of his generation, has identified Cristiano Ronaldo as the toughest opponent he has ever faced.
Recall that Cristiano Ronaldo played at Manchester United from 2003 to 2009 and faced Cole for 6 years while the Englishman was at Arsenal and then at Chelsea.
“Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo and I had some mighty battles and we have a mutual respect”, Ashley Cole said after he was inducted into the Premier League Hall fame.
“He came to the Premier League as a little bit of an unknown, but he soon understood what it took to be a top player. He was willing to learn and adapt. He wanted to be the best player in the world and became a machine.
“He had everything. He could dribble, he could sprint behind, he could leap and jump and head a ball, he could go inside, he could go outside. So I say he always gave me nightmares, but you try to work each other out and we got the best of each other at times.
“Whenever I hear his name or see his face, I always think of when he made me do the splits! [in 2003/04, Ronaldo’s first Premier League season].”
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