Derby County have seen one of their former players inducted into the latest round of the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Derby County have seen some of the biggest names in footballing history pull on the black and white shirt over the years. From Steve Bloomer to Wayne Rooney, the Ram has been an iconic crest for some huge stars.
However, yet another former player has been eternalised in history, this time in the Premier League Hall of Fame. That being left-back Ashley Cole, who enjoyed a short stint with Derby and made history in his time at Pride Park.
Ashley Cole Premier League Hall of Fame
Ashley Cole is the latest inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The left-back enjoyed successful stints with both Arsenal and Chelsea, winning three league titles and making over 350 appearances in the division.
The 43-year-old has often been attributed as the gold standard for the left-back position, also enjoying spells with LA Galaxy and AS Roma before joining Derby in 2019. “I’m honoured to join the Premier League Hall of Fame,” Cole told the Premier League website.
“It’s humbling and fulfilling to be rewarded at the end of your career. I went through my career 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.
“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. It’s emotional to reflect because a lot of hard work has been put in.
“To join the Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand, I’m privileged to be in their company.”
Ashley Cole career stats
Ashley Cole spent six-months at Derby County, joining from LA Galaxy to play under former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard. The defender scored his only FA Cup goal in his career while with the Rams, with a rocket of a header against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Cole’s final game was in the Championship playoff final against Aston Villa, coming in for the suspended Scott Malone – who had received a red card against Leeds United in the semi-final the game before. Derby were unable to book their place back in the Premier League, falling to a 2-1 defeat.
Ashley Cole stats
Arsenal (1999-2006)
- Appearances: 228
- Goals: 9
- Assists: 23
Crystal Palace (2000)
- Appearances: 14
- Goals: 1
- Assists: 0
Chelsea (2006-2014)
- Appearances: 337
- Goals: 7
- Assists: 37
AS Roma (2014-2016)
- Appearances: 16
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 0
LA Galaxy (2016-2019)
- Appearances: 94
- Goals: 3
- Assists: 11
Derby County (2019)
- Appearances: 12
- Goals: 1
- Assists: 2