One of the most important players in the history of English football, playing for teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, is Andy Cole, football star of the 1990s and living legend of a Manchester United side that excelled in Europe.
An indispensable striker in Sir Alex Ferguson's plans, Cole won the Golden Boot in 1993-1994 and scored a total of 244 goals in his 582 professional games, and was also a key player for the England national team.
There is so much interest in this former football player that Betway couldn't miss the opportunity to interview him if we had the chance. A conversation in which the player comments on certain aspects of his life, as well as the moments that marked his professional career and gives his opinion on the current situation regarding the Premier League and the England national team. An interview that you can read on the official Betway Insider website in full.
Despite this flood of memories that overwhelm us about this player and his active years, we have come to the memory of BeSoccer, some relevant aspects that made this historic player was the subject of front pages in full. Here, we highlight some of the moments of his football that marked a milestone in what Cole meant from his beginnings at Arsenal, until his retirement in Nottingham.
The Charity Shield and his beginnings at Arsenal: a young Cole
Although the Nottingham-born player is linked in common memory with the Red Devils, what few people remember is that Andy Cole started his professional football life with the Gunners. The player played for the London club from 1989-1991, where he won his first professional title: the Community Shield (then known as the Charity Shield).
His promotion with Newcastle: 50 goals in two seasons
One of the clubs of the moment in the Premier League, currently among the top five English teams, is Newcastle United. This English player also spent two years at this club, where he was a key player, with a total of 35 goals, in the promotion of the Magpies during their stay in the Premiership. A feat that Cole remembers with great affection and that makes him celebrate every victory of the Magpies in the 2022-23 season.
His time at Manchester United: his duo with Dwight Yorke, the Champions League and the day he met Ronaldo Nazario
His success at Newcastle would earn him the interest of one of the most successful managers in English football. One day Sir Alex Ferguson saw the Nottingham boy playing and picked up the phone to secure his services. The 23 year old arrived at a Manchester United team where the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona were in abundance, to try to make a name for himself, and he did just that.
He scored 122 goals for the Red Devils, creating a historic partnership with Trinidad and Tobago's Dwight Yorke in a season in which the Manchester side achieved the unthinkable after a 30-year drought: their second European Champions League title. In an achievement where the club defeated the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus, one memory will always remain in Cole's mind, the day he met Ronaldo Nazario in their quarter-final against Inter Milan.
According to the player, when he saw Ronaldo in the tunnel before the game he "almost fainted with emotion". It was there that the humbler side of Cole, who had always been a down-to-earth player, was once again on display. Despite being a living England legend, with an established career, the player valued his opponent so much that he was grateful to share the football and live in the moment he was living in, something that shows Andy is not only a great on the pitch, but off it as well.
The end of his career at Nottingham: a return home
The star who had shone so brightly in the English top-flight decided to end his career at his boyhood club. Despite not scoring a single goal in 2008, the player remembers that period of his life as one of the most emotional. Returning to the Championship, the striker said farewell to football with a tribute at home: the City Ground bade him farewell to applause.