My dad wanted me to play cricket but I became a Premier League legend for Manchester United

Andy Cole has been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The 52-year-old was one of 15 former players who were eligible to be commended for their contributions to the competition.

Fans around the world could vote for two players from Cole, Sol Campbell, Les Ferdinand, David Silva, Michael Carrick, Robbie Fowler, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Yaya Toure, Jermain Defoe, Gary Neville, Edwin van der Sar, Cesc Fabregas, Michael Owen and Nemanja Vidic to enter the Hall of Fame.

Last month, Ashley Cole was revealed as the first inductee of 2024. In 2023, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Rio Ferdinand, Petr Cech and Tony Adams were given the nod.

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In 2022, Patrick Vieira, Wayne Rooney, Ian Wright, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero were all recognised for their efforts. The year prior, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Denis Bergkamp, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were voted in.

Cole has now joined an elite group of former players. The ex-England international featured 415 times in the Premier League, scoring 187 goals and providing 69 assists. He also helped Manchester United win the competition on five separate occasions in 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01.

In 1993/94, Cole won the Golden Boot after scoring 34 goals in 40 appearances for Newcastle United. While he's now formally recognised as a Premier League legend, he may have never pursued a career in football if he listened to his father, who wanted him to play cricket.

Cole said: "I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved in football, which is thanks to my family, my coaches and my team-mates, and being inducted into the Hall of Fame makes me very proud.

"Football is a game of ups and downs, but I enjoyed every single minute of my career. My dad wanted me to play cricket, but I said, ‘No dad, I think I’m good at football.’ Looking back at my career always fills me with great pride and puts a smile on my face.

"The reason you play football and compete at the highest level is to win major honours. It was so, so special for me to win so many trophies and five Premier Leagues. To get my first one was crazy and after that I just wanted to win more."