Manchester United legend Andrew Cole was nominated for the Premier League Hall of Fame 2024. He was the first player to score five times in a Premier League match when he starred in a 9-0 victory over Ipswich Town in March 1995.
And his goal against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 1998/99 season regained the title for the treble-winning side.
“For the treble season alone, [Dwight] Yorke and Cole were the best [strike partnership I played with at Manchester United]. They were sensational, the way they played together. They lit up the whole league. They lit up Europe.” – Gary Neville
“I’ve watched him any number of times and his all-round game is very good.” – Alan Shearer
“[Cole] is somebody who still doesn’t get the credit, for me, when people talk about the top end of the Premier League.” – Ian Wright
Prior to his spell at Old Trafford he won the Golden Boot with a tally of 34 goals for Newcastle United in 1993/94, a total only beaten by Erling Haaland, although it came in a 42-match season.
He finished his top-flight career with a further 51 strikes across spells at Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth and Sunderland, taking him to a total of 187 goals that only three players have ever beaten.
Cole’s total of 187 goals in the Premier League has been surpassed only by Wayne Rooney (208), Harry Kane (213) and Alan Shearer (260).
None of Cole’s 34 goals in 1993/94 were scored via the penalty spot, making it a record for non-penalty goals in a Premier League season.