Editing Andy Cole

{{short description|English footballer (born 1971)}}
{{Redirect|Andrew Cole|other people of the same name|Andrew Cole (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Andy Cole
| image          = Andy Cole in 2014.jpg
| caption        = Cole in 2014
| fullname       = Andrew Alexander Cole<ref name="Hugman 2008-09">{{cite book |editor1-last=Hugman |editor1-first=Barry J. |title=The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09 |publisher=Mainstream |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84596-324-8 }}</ref>
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1971|10|15|df=y}}<ref name="Hugman 2008-09"/>
| birth_place    = [[Nottingham]], England
| height         = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Andrew Cole |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/725/Andrew-Cole/overview |website=premierleague.com |access-date=5 September 2022 }}</ref>
| currentclub    = 
| position       = [[Forward (association football)#Striker|Striker]]
| youthyears1    = 1988–1989 |youthclubs1 = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| years1         = 1989–1992 |clubs1  = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]                          |caps1  = 1   |goals1  = 0
| years2         = 1991      |clubs2  = → [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] (loan)                |caps2  = 13  |goals2  = 3
| years3         = 1992      |clubs3  = → [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] (loan)    |caps3  = 12  |goals3  = 8
| years4         = 1992–1993 |clubs4  = [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]                |caps4  = 29  |goals4  = 12
| years5         = 1993–1995 |clubs5  = [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]        |caps5  = 70  |goals5  = 55
| years6         = 1995–2001 |clubs6  = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]      |caps6  = 195 |goals6  = 93
| years7         = 2001–2004 |clubs7  = [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]        |caps7  = 83  |goals7  = 27
| years8         = 2004–2005 |clubs8  = [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]                            |caps8  = 31  |goals8  = 12
| years9         = 2005–2006 |clubs9  = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]          |caps9  = 22  |goals9  = 9
| years10        = 2006–2007 |clubs10 = [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]]                    |caps10 = 18  |goals10 = 3
| years11        = 2007      |clubs11 = → [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] (loan) |caps11 = 5   |goals11 = 1
| years12        = 2007–2008 |clubs12 = [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]                  |caps12 = 7   |goals12 = 0
| years13        = 2008      |clubs13 = → [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] (loan)              |caps13 = 13  |goals13 = 6
| years14        = 2008      |clubs14 = [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]      |caps14 = 10  |goals14 = 0
| totalcaps = 509 |totalgoals = 229
| nationalyears1 = 1991      |nationalteam1 = [[England national under-20 football team|England U20]] |nationalcaps1 = 3  |nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1992–1993 |nationalteam2 = [[England national under-21 football team|England U21]] |nationalcaps2 = 8  |nationalgoals2 = 4
| nationalyears3 = 1994      |nationalteam3 = [[England national football B team|England B]]          |nationalcaps3 = 1  |nationalgoals3 = 1
| nationalyears4 = 1995–2001 |nationalteam4 = [[England national football team|England]]              |nationalcaps4 = 15 |nationalgoals4 = 1
}}
'''Andrew Alexander Cole''' (born 15 October 1971) is an English former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)#Striker|striker]]. His professional career lasted from 1988 to 2008, and is mostly remembered for his time with [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], who paid a [[Progression of the British football transfer fee record|British record transfer fee]] to sign him from [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]. Cole spent six years with Manchester United and won nine trophies, including five [[Premier League]] titles and the Treble of the Premier League, [[FA Cup]] and [[UEFA Champions League]] in 1999.

As well as Manchester United and Newcastle United, Cole also played in the top division of English football for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]], [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]], [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] and [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], as well as in [[English Football League|The Football League]] for [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. He is the [[List of footballers with 100 or more Premier League goals|fourth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history]] with 187 goals, and used to hold the Premier League records for most goals scored in a 42-game season (34), the fastest player to score 50 goals (65 matches), and the first player to top both the Premier League's goalscoring and assist charts in the same season (1993–94).<ref>{{cite web |title=Salah edged only by Shearer in time to 50 goals |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/981847 |website=Premier League |access-date=3 November 2020 |date=24 January 2019}}</ref>

Cole has the distinction of having won every top-level team competition in English football at least once, as well as the primary European competition, the UEFA Champions League. As an individual he has won the [[PFA Young Player of the Year]] award. Cole was [[cap (football)|capped]] 15 times for the [[England national football team|England national team]] between 1995 and 2001, scoring once against [[Albania national football team|Albania]] in a [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier]].<ref name="blackburn-deal"/>

==Club career==

===Early career===
Cole began his career as a youth player for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] on leaving school in 1988, signing professional in 1989. He made his only league appearance for Arsenal, aged 19, as a [[Substitute (association football)|substitute]] against [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]] during a [[Football League First Division|First Division]] match on 29 December 1990. Arsenal won 4–1 but Cole did not score. He also made a substitute appearance against [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] in the [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]] in [[1991 FA Charity Shield|1991]] and almost made an immediate impact, hitting the side netting from outside the penalty area.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arsenal and Spurs share Shield |work=Agence France Presse |date=10 August 1991 }}</ref> The following season, Cole was loaned to [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] in the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]], where he scored three goals in 13 matches.

Cole joined [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] on loan in March 1992 before signing in a [[Pound sterling|£]]500,000 permanent deal in the summer of 1992, at the time becoming their most expensive player. Having proved himself as a competent young goalscorer with Bristol City (who began the [[1992–93 in English football|1992–93 season]] in the new [[Football League First Division|Football League Division One]] following the creation of the [[Premier League]]), Cole was quickly one of the hottest prospects in England and his name was frequently linked with Premier League clubs throughout the 1992–93 season.

===Newcastle United===
In February 1993, Division One leaders [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] broke their club transfer record by paying £1.75&nbsp;million to sign Cole. He then scored 12 goals in as many league matches as Newcastle cruised to the Division One title and won promotion to the Premier League. His 12 goals included two hat-tricks, the first against [[Barnsley F.C.|Barnsley]] on 7 April, the second on the final day of the season in a 7–1 hammering of [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]].<ref>[http://www.nufc.com/html/1992-93.html Stats 1992–93] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114130008/http://www.nufc.com/html/1992-93.html |date=14 January 2010 }} NUFC.com, 5 September 2009</ref> He also scored the first of the club's two goals in their 2–0 promotion clinching win over [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]] at [[Blundell Park]] on 4 May.<ref>[http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/Celebrate-Newcastle-s-return-to-the-Premier-League-by-reliving-their-last-promotion-under-Kevin-Keegan-in-1993-with-classic-images-plus-reports-and-features-from-our-archive-article381627.html Celebrate Newcastle's return to the Premier League by reliving their last promotion under Kevin Keegan in 1993 with classic images plus reports and features from our archive – Archive]. MirrorFootball.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2012.</ref>

After [[David Kelly (association footballer)|David Kelly]] was sold to [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], manager [[Kevin Keegan]] brought in [[Peter Beardsley]] as Cole's strike partner for the [[1993–94 FA Premier League|1993–94 Premier League campaign]].

Cole scored 34 goals in 40 matches during Newcastle's first Premier League season as they finished third, and qualified for the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]] for the first time since the 1970s. His first top division goal was in a 1–1 draw against defending league champions [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] at [[Old Trafford]] on 21 August 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title=Live Match Commentary |url=https://www.premierleague.com/match/672|work=Premier League |date=21 August 1993 |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref> This was Newcastle's first goal in the Premier League.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statbunker.com/football/btb/index.php?PL=match&MatchID=2977 |title=21 August 1993 Man Utd vs Newcastle |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619082935/http://www.statbunker.com/football/btb/index.php?PL=match&MatchID=2977 |archivedate=19 June 2013 |website=Statbunker.com |accessdate=8 May 2012 }}</ref> Exactly three months later, Cole scored all three goals as Newcastle defeated [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] 3–0 at home.<ref>{{cite web |title=Live Match Commentary |url=https://www.https/ |work=Premier League |date=21 November 1993 |access-date=30 October 2020 |archive-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Another emphatic hat-trick followed against [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] in late February and with [[Peter Beardsley]] almost as lethal as his strike partner.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010126025700/http://www.nufc.com/html/1993-94.html Stats 1993–94] NUFC.com, 15 October 2009</ref> Cole scored 41 total goals in all competitions – breaking the club's goalscoring record which had been set by [[Hughie Gallacher]] nearly 70 years earlier (Gallacher still holds the record for the highest number of league goals in a season with 36).<ref>{{cite news |title=Newcastle United's Greatest: The goal-scoring great Andy Cole |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-uniteds-greatest-goalscoring-great-7153811|work=The Chronicle |date=21 May 2014 |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="gallacher-18864062">{{cite news |title=Newcastle United's record crowd, with thousands locked out, and the return of a centre-forward hero |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/newcastle-united-record-attendance-gallacher-18864062 |work=The Chronicle |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref> Cole scored in 26 different Premier League appearances for Newcastle in 1993–94, which is a season record in the competition by a player.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most Goal Involvements in a Premier League Season |url=https://theanalyst.com/eu/2022/03/most-goal-involvements-in-a-premier-league-season/ |website=The Analyst |date=21 March 2022}}</ref>

Cole was subsequently voted [[PFA Young Player of the Year]] for that season.<ref>{{cite web|title=Premier League icon: Andy Cole|url=https://totalfootballmag.com/features/premier-league-features/premier-league-icon-andy-cole/|date=21 November 1993|access-date=30 October 2020|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107025159/https://totalfootballmag.com/features/premier-league-features/premier-league-icon-andy-cole/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Cole then scored 9 goals in 18 Premier League matches for Newcastle after the start of the [[1994–95 FA Premier League|1994–95 season]], and also scored a hat-trick against [[Royal Antwerp FC|Royal Antwerp]] in the [[1994–95 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]].<ref name="euro">{{cite news |title=Euro goal king Cole |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/champions_league/1592777.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=11 October 2001 |access-date=6 August 2007 }}</ref>

In all, Cole scored 68 goals in 84 matches for Newcastle, giving him a strike rate of 81%. Cole's last goal for Newcastle United came in the 1–1 home draw with [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] on 26 November 1994.<ref>[http://www.nufc.com/html/1994-95.html Fixtures 1994–95] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114133739/http://nufc.com/html/1994-95.html |date=14 January 2010 }} NUFC.com, 25 June 2009</ref>

===Manchester United===
On 10 January 1995, Cole was suddenly sold in a shock deal to Manchester United for a deal worth £7&nbsp;million – £6&nbsp;million cash plus £1&nbsp;million-rated [[Keith Gillespie]] going in the opposite direction, setting a new record for the [[Progression of the British football transfer fee record|most expensive British transfer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/andy-cole-sold-manchester-united-12430726|title=When Andy Cole was sold to Manchester United on this day 22 years ago|work=The Chronicle |first=David |last=Morton |year=2017 |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref> Newcastle fans were saddened and confused with Keegan for selling Cole, leading to Keegan publicly confronting fans at [[St James' Park]], against the advice of chairman [[John Hall (English businessman)|Sir John Hall]] and first team coach [[Terry McDermott]], explaining his reasons on the day of the transfer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kevin-keegan-talk-newcastle-united-7063805|title=Kevin Keegan: Why I had to talk to the Newcastle United fans after selling Andy Cole|work=The Chronicle |first=Lee |last=Ryder |date=2 May 2014 |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref> Cole stated his sadness at leaving the club, however felt the iconic status Newcastle fans aligned with him was premature and affecting him personally, while he cited Newcastle's November loss to [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]] as permanently damaging his relationship with Keegan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/andy-cole-speaks-out-on-move-to-man-utd-from-newcastle#|title=COLE: THEIR FANS' REACTION ALWAYS ANNOYED ME |work=Manchester United F.C |first=Lars |last=Røy |date=15 October 2020 |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref> McDermott stated in his autobiography that Keegan decided to sell Cole citing a drop in form and enthusiasm, while also hoping to sign [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] striker [[Les Ferdinand]] shortly following Cole's departure.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/inside-story-newcastle-united-sold-12804105|title=The inside story of why Newcastle United sold Andy Cole to Manchester United |work=The Chronicle |first=David |last=Morton |year=2017 |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref> Ferdinand signed for Newcastle that summer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/les-ferdinand-best-newcastle-goals-18377347|title=From debut delight to Man U demolition: Les Ferdinand's best Newcastle moments|work=The Chronicle |first=Stuart |last=Jamieson |date=7 June 2020 |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref>

Despite joining halfway through the 1994–95 season, Cole still managed to score 12 goals in just 18 Premier League matches for United. This included his first, the winner in a 1–0 victory over [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] on 4 February at Old Trafford and five in the [[Manchester United F.C. 9–0 Ipswich Town F.C.|9–0 rout]] of Ipswich Town, making him the first player to score five goals in a Premier League match. He also scored twice in away wins over Leicester City and Coventry City during the season's final stages, as his new team kept up the pressure and cut the gap between themselves and league leaders Blackburn Rovers.

However, Cole missed two goal chances in the final minutes against [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] on the final day of the season as they could only manage a 1–1 draw and the league title went to [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] instead. He was [[cup-tied]] for the [[1995 FA Cup Final|FA Cup Final]] a week later. Without him, United lost to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] 1–0. United were also without the banned [[Eric Cantona]] and the injured [[Andrei Kanchelskis]], the club's two other highest scoring players that season.

Cole's first full season in [[1995–96 Manchester United F.C. season|1995–96]] with Manchester United proved to be difficult, as Cole struggled to find his trademark form in a side now built around the much heralded return of Eric Cantona. Though Cole scored in four consecutive matches halfway through the season, including an important opening goal in United's 2–0 defeat of title rivals Newcastle United on 27 December, Cole was badgered by fans and critics alike across much of the season for only scoring 14 times and missing many chances. However, Cole picked up his form in the final stages of the season and scored crucial goals including the equaliser in the [[1995–96 FA Cup|FA Cup]] semi-final against [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] to help send United to [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] again. He then collected his first Premier League title winners medal and scored the second goal in United's 3–0 defeat of [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] on the final day of the season to help United win the Premier League title for the third time in four years - a remarkable turnaround as his new club had been 10 points behind his old club at Christmas.

He also played in United's FA Cup final victory to become part of England's first ever side to win the double twice.

Before the [[1996–97 Manchester United F.C. season|1996–97 season]] began, Cole had to deal with being offered to Blackburn Rovers as part-exchange in a £12&nbsp;million deal that would have brought [[Alan Shearer]] to Old Trafford, but the offer was rejected and Shearer joined Newcastle instead. Despite [[Alex Ferguson]]'s clear indication to Cole that he was looking for another striker, after the Shearer deal fell through, Cole fought to stay at the club and was handed the [[Squad number (association football)|number 9 shirt]], having previously worn 17. The arrival of [[Ole Gunnar Solskjær]] – and being the victim of two broken legs suffered after a tackle by [[Neil Ruddock]] in a reserve match against Liverpool,<ref>[http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/interviews/2010-06-17/neil-ruddock-interview Neil Ruddock Interview] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002145241/http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/interviews/2010-06-17/neil-ruddock-interview |date=2 October 2010 }} talkSPORT, 16 June 2010</ref> restricted Cole's first-team chances further. However, he managed to recover by December 1996 and still played in 20 Premier League matches (ten as a substitute) for the season. Cole then ended the season strongly with several crucial goals in both the league (such as away at title rivals Arsenal), and in the [[UEFA Champions League]] (where he scored a goal voted the season's best European goal against [[FC Porto|Porto]]) to complete his comeback from injury. Cole then scored the title sealing goal in a landmark 3–1 win for United at [[Anfield]] – the scene of his broken legs a few months earlier - as United moved closer to another title triumph.

For the [[1997–98 Manchester United F.C. season|1997–98 season]], the retirement of Eric Cantona saw Cole emerge as first choice striker once again, and he discovered his best form ever for the club. He found himself starting most of United's games that season, either alongside Solskjaer or new signing Teddy Sheringham.

He became the joint top goalscorer in the Premier League during the course of the season with 18, several of which were spectacular efforts. The most notable was perhaps a chip against Everton, which fans voted as the Manchester United goal of the season. Cole also developed a strong partnership with [[Teddy Sheringham]] (despite considerable personal friction between the two), but United finished trophyless for only the second time in the 1990s as they surrendered their lead of the Premier League to Arsenal during the final two months of the season.

Cole achieved several personal landmarks in this campaign, scoring his first [[List of UEFA Champions League hat-tricks|European hat-trick]] for the club in an away match at [[Feyenoord]], as well as ending the season as runner-up in the [[PFA Players' Player of the Year]] award to Arsenal's [[Dennis Bergkamp]]. Despite this accreditation, and being the leading goalscorer in all competitions that season with 25, Cole was omitted from England's [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] squad by national coach [[Glenn Hoddle]].<ref name="euro"/> Cole remained upbeat when interviewed and when asked about his new-found return to success, he claimed he had found freedom in his life after the injuries and erratic form of his earlier time at Old Trafford, saying he had great joy with his young son and lived for him and his family in his faith as a [[Born again (Christianity)|born-again Christian]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} He also claimed the friendship of [[Ryan Giggs]], his roommate on away matches, was a major motivating factor through the tough times when fans and media doubted him at United.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

Cole faced competition from new signing [[Dwight Yorke]], Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær during the [[1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season|1998–99 season]], but ended up developing an immensely successful partnership with Yorke. The two contributed 53 goals between them and were rated as one of the most feared attacking partnerships in Europe, with the pair scoring against sides like [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] away at the [[Camp Nou]], and repeating the form all season with incredible one-touch passes and assists that at times seemed to demonstrate a [[telepathic]] understanding. Although Solskjaer still managed to excel on occasions whether as a starting player or a substitute, and Sheringham also managed to do well and score crucial goals when he played.

Cole played a key role in the side's unique [[treble (association football)|treble]] of the [[1998–99 FA Premier League|Premier League]] title, [[1998–99 FA Cup|FA Cup]] and [[1998–99 UEFA Champions League|UEFA Champions League]]. Cole scored the winning goal in United's final Premier League match of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, a result which meant United finished one point ahead of rivals Arsenal to win the Premier League title. He also scored United's third and winning goal in their Champions League semi-final second leg against [[Juventus FC|Juventus]], sealing their place in the final. Also in this season, Cole scored his 100th Premier League goal in a top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal at Old Trafford on 17 February; the match ended 1–1.

During United's pre-season tour of Australia in July 1999, Cole was involved in a tackle which left 19-year-old Australian defender [[Simon Colosimo]] sidelined for six months and requiring a complete knee reconstruction. Before the injury, Colosimo was one of Australia's best young players and was about to make a big money move to Europe, and was never able to complete a career in Europe, despite a handful of appearances for [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]].

Cole was United's second top scorer again in [[1999–2000 Manchester United F.C. season|1999–2000]] with 19 goals in 28 [[1999–2000 FA Premier League|Premier League]] matches. He collected his fourth Premier League title medal in five seasons, and scored over 20 goals in all competitions for the third successive season. Cole scored many goals for United including the only goal of the game in their top-of-the-table clash against their closest rivals [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]. He also joined an elite group during this season by scoring his 100th goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]].

Another title followed in [[2000–01 Manchester United F.C. season|2000–01]] when, despite suffering from an injury that restricted his appearances, Cole scored 13 goals in all competitions, including four in the [[2000–01 UEFA Champions League|UEFA Champions League]], allowing him (at the time) to become Manchester United's record goal scorer in European competition of all time, eclipsing the record set some 30 years earlier by [[Denis Law]].

The following [[2001–02 Manchester United F.C. season|2001–02 season]] saw Cole face fresh competition from new signing [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]], as well as Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and also [[Paul Scholes]] for places up front, with Sir Alex Ferguson adopting a more conservative approach, especially in European matches, by playing Scholes behind Van Nistelrooy with [[Roy Keane]] and [[Juan Sebastián Verón]] in a three-man midfield. Despite this, Cole managed to score seven goals before leaving for Blackburn Rovers halfway through the season after falling behind to the formidable partnership of Van Nistelrooy and Solskjær, meaning that he was often a substitute during the final months of his United career.

More than five years after his Old Trafford exit, a 35-year-old Cole made one last appearance for Manchester United in the [[UEFA Celebration Match]] six years later, on 13 March 2007, coming on at half-time for a friendly match between Manchester United and a European XI, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the [[European Community]] and 50 years of Manchester United in the European Cup.

===Blackburn Rovers===
The arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastián Verón counted against Cole's first-team chances at Man Utd in the 2001–02 season, and on 29 December 2001, Cole was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £8&nbsp;million.<ref name="blackburn-deal">{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Bruce-Ball |title=Blackburn sign Cole for £8m |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/blackburn/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421113525/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/blackburn/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2013 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=29 December 2001 |access-date=6 August 2007 |location=London}}</ref> Within two months of arriving, he had collected a [[EFL Cup|League Cup]] winners medal, scoring the winning goal for Blackburn in the [[Football League Cup Final 2002|final]] against Tottenham Hotspur, who were managed by the former England manager and open critic of Cole, Glenn Hoddle. This victory meant that, in the space of seven seasons, Cole had won all four domestic trophies plus a European trophy. Cole ended the season with a total of 18 goals in all competitions, 5 for Manchester United and 13 in just 20 matches for Blackburn.

Rovers finished sixth [[2002–03 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season|the following season]] and qualified for the [[2003–04 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]]. That campaign saw Cole reunited with Dwight Yorke, who had signed for Blackburn from Manchester United for £2&nbsp;million in July 2002.

Cole had a frustrating season in [[2003–04 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season|2003–04 season]], as Rovers slid into the bottom half of the [[2003–04 FA Premier League|Premier League]], finishing 15th. He scored 11 goals but his relationship with manager [[Graeme Souness]] hit rock bottom after Cole reported him to the [[Professional Footballers' Association]] ("PFA") accusing him of unfair treatment. Cole scored 37 goals in 100 appearances in all competitions for Blackburn.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

===Later career and retirement===
[[File:AndrewCole.JPG|thumb|Cole signing autographs outside the [[City of Manchester Stadium]] in October 2005]]
Thirteen years after spending a month on loan at Fulham, Cole returned to [[Craven Cottage]] for the [[2004–05 Fulham F.C. season|2004–05 season]], joining them on a one-year contract.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cole moves to Fulham |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/3902743.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=18 July 2004 |access-date=6 August 2007 }}</ref> He was the club's top scorer and scored one of the goals of the season against Liverpool. Despite this successful period at Fulham, he decided to leave the club after only one season as his family wanted to return to the [[North West England|North West]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

Cole signed for Manchester City on a free transfer at the beginning of the [[2005–06 Manchester City F.C. season|2005–06 season]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Cole completes Man City signing |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/4690729.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=20 July 2005 |access-date=6 August 2007 }}</ref> and enjoyed a good start to his career at [[City of Manchester Stadium|Eastlands]]. [[Stuart Pearce]]'s side spent most of the season in the top half of the table, but Cole's season was ended by injury in March.

Despite signing a new contract with Manchester City only months earlier<ref>{{cite news|title=Cole signs Citizens deal |url=http://www.football.co.uk/manchester_city/cole_signs_citizens_deal_229075.shtml |publisher=Football.co.uk |date=8 June 2006 |access-date=4 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930043459/http://www.football.co.uk/manchester_city/cole_signs_citizens_deal_229075.shtml |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> and leaving Fulham in 2005 to return to the [[Northern England|north]], Cole signed for south coast club [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] on transfer deadline day (31 August 2006) for an undisclosed fee, reported as £500,000 with the potential to rise to £1&nbsp;million depending on appearances.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/portsmouth-snap-up-third-new-player-274791.html |title=Portsmouth snap up third new player |newspaper=Irish Examiner |date=31 August 2006 |access-date=10 November 2016}}</ref> He scored his first league goal for his new club in the 2–0 win at home to West Ham United on 14 October.<ref>{{cite news|first=Steve |last=Tongue |title=Portsmouth 2 West Ham Utd 0: Harry casts Hammers further into the Cole furnace |url=http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article1873887.ece |work=The Independent |date=15 October 2006 |access-date=4 August 2007 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181439/http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article1873887.ece |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> However, Cole struggled to break into [[Harry Redknapp]]'s side and in March 2007, he signed on loan for [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] of the [[EFL Championship|Championship]] until the end of the season.<ref name="Birmingham sign Cole in loan deal">{{cite news |title=Birmingham sign Cole in loan deal |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/birmingham_city/6474263.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=21 March 2007 |access-date=21 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325055703/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/birmingham_city/6474263.stm |archive-date=25 March 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Cole returned to Portsmouth after five appearances and one goal (against Wolverhampton Wanderers)<ref>{{cite news |title=Wolves 2–3 Birmingham |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/6555355.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=22 April 2007 |access-date=15 September 2009 }}</ref> for Birmingham. He was released on 3 August 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cole secures Pompey exit |url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2639845,00.html |publisher=skysports.com |date=3 August 2007 |access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

After being released by Portsmouth at the end of the [[2006–07 Portsmouth F.C. season|2006–07 season]], Cole signed a one-year contract with [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] on a free transfer, reuniting him once more with former Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers strike partner Dwight Yorke, and under the management of former United teammate Roy Keane. After seven matches for the club, Cole spent three months on loan at [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] where he scored six goals for the Championship club, including a hat-trick against [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] at [[Loftus Road]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7236343.stm|title=QPR 2-4 Burnley|website=BBC Sport|date=12 February 2008|access-date=25 August 2017}}</ref> Reflecting on his time at [[Turf Moor]], Cole stated, "I went to Burnley and spoke to [[Owen Coyle]] and got a great vibe. He brought the best out of me and made me feel a lot younger than my age."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/nottm_forest/7611008.stm|title=Cole reveals Coyle's inspiration|website=BBC Sport|date=12 September 2008|access-date=25 August 2017}}</ref> Cole was released by Sunderland at the end of the [[2007–08 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2007–08 season]].

On 4 July 2008, Cole signed a 12-month deal with [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]], his 12th club and his local from his time growing up in Nottingham. However, on 31 October 2008, Forest confirmed Cole's contract had been cancelled by mutual consent after 11 appearances and 0 goals.

On 11 November 2008, Cole announced his retirement from football, ending a 19-year career.<ref>{{cite news |title=Striker Cole retires from playing |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7721528.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=11 November 2008 |access-date=11 November 2008 }}</ref>

==International career==
Despite first being capped for [[England national football team|England]] in 1995, Cole earned only 15 [[cap (sport)|caps]] by the time he announced his retirement from international football after failing to be selected for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]] squad. He scored one goal for England, in a World Cup qualifying match against [[Albania national football team|Albania]] in March 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2002/1245429.stm|title=Cole goal caps England victory|publisher=BBC Sport|date=28 March 2001 |access-date=14 June 2019}}</ref> He also scored in his single appearance for the [[England national football B team|England B]] team.

Glenn Hoddle, in defence of his decision not to select Cole for the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|World Cup in 1998]], accused Cole of needing six or seven chances to score one goal.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/feb/01/1 On second thoughts ... Andy Cole] ''The Guardian'', 1 February 2007</ref>

A persistent toe injury in the lead up to [[UEFA Euro 2000]] led to Cole missing out on another major competition for his country.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/euro2000/teams/england/772525.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804101448/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/euro2000/teams/england/772525.stm |archive-date=4 August 2016 |title=Keegan tips Cole to bounce back |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=1 June 2000 |access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/euro2000/teams/england/772145.stm|title=Keegan names Euro 2000 squad|publisher=BBC Sport|date=1 June 2000|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

Cole earned his first four caps under four different managers. He made his debut in a friendly against [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] under [[Terry Venables]] in March 1995, coming on as a substitute for [[Teddy Sheringham]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Dan |title='Roy Keane has me up against the wall' - how one moment sparked a Man Utd feud |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/keane-cole-sheringham-man-united-26106114 |access-date=24 March 2024 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=4 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Andy Cole explains how Teddy Sheringham ruined his England debut |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11728098/andy-cole-explains-how-teddy-sheringham-ruined-his-england-debut |access-date=24 March 2024 |work=Sky Sports |date=25 May 2019}}</ref> he appeared next against [[Italy national football team|Italy]] under Glenn Hoddle at the [[1997 Tournoi de France|Tournoi de France]] in 1997; made his third appearance against [[France national football team|France]] under caretaker [[Howard Wilkinson]] in 1999; and finally earned his fourth cap against [[Poland national football team|Poland]] under new manager [[Kevin Keegan]] in his first starting appearance a few weeks later.

==Coaching career==
In August 2009, Cole was hired by his former Manchester United and England teammate, [[Milton Keynes Dons F.C.|Milton Keynes Dons]] manager [[Paul Ince]], to coach the club's forwards on an initially temporary basis.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cole To Fuel Dons Firepower |url=http://www.mkdons.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10420~1753400,00.html |publisher=Milton Keynes Dons F.C. |date=13 August 2009 |access-date=13 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816160424/http://www.mkdons.com/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10420~1753400%2C00.html |archive-date=16 August 2009 }}</ref> However, one week later, Cole agreed to spend at least two days a week working on finishing with the forwards at [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]], under his former Newcastle United and Fulham teammate [[Lee Clark (footballer)|Lee Clark]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Huddersfield Town boss: We can get better! |url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/huddersfield-town-fc/huddersfield-town-news/2009/08/19/huddersfield-town-boss-we-can-get-better-86081-24475767/ |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |date=19 August 2009 |access-date=19 August 2009 }}</ref>
In December 2010, Cole was back at Manchester United, working at the [[Carrington, Greater Manchester|Carrington]] training ground while finishing his coaching badges.<ref>{{cite news |title=Andy Cole argues case for pairing Andy Carroll with Wayne Rooney in England attack |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/8220270/Andy-Cole-argues-case-for-pairing-Andy-Carroll-with-Wayne-Rooney-in-England-attack.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/8220270/Andy-Cole-argues-case-for-pairing-Andy-Carroll-with-Wayne-Rooney-in-England-attack.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=23 December 2010 |access-date=26 December 2010 |location=London |first=Henry |last=Winter}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In October 2019, Cole was named as [[Forward (association football)|forward]] and attack coach assisting manager, [[Sol Campbell]] at [[Southend United F.C.|Southend United]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/10/22/sol-campbell-named-new-southend-manager-former-manchester-united/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/10/22/sol-campbell-named-new-southend-manager-former-manchester-united/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Sol Campbell named new Southend manager with former Manchester United striker Andy Cole his attack coach |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |date=22 October 2019 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> On 30 June 2020, manager Campbell and his three assistants including Cole left the club by mutual consent.<ref name="BBC-30Jun2020">{{cite news |title=Sol Campbell: Southend United manager leaves by mutual consent |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53234423 |access-date=30 June 2020 |work=BBC Sport |date=30 June 2020}}</ref>

==Recording career==
In 1999, Cole signed to WEA/Warner Music and released a cover of [[the Gap Band]]'s "[[Outstanding]]" which reached number 68 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/8244/andy-cole/|title=ANDY COLE &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] }}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Aeroflot Manchester United Trophy Tour in Tokyo (13047741473).jpg|thumb|Cole representing Manchester United in Tokyo, March 2014]]
Cole's father, Lincoln, emigrated to the UK from Jamaica in 1957 and worked as a coal miner in [[Gedling, Nottinghamshire]], from 1965 to 1987.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/24/black-miners-britain-nottingham |title=How Britain's black miners are reclaiming their place in history |last1=Perraudin |first1=Frances |date=24 October 2016 |website=[[theguardian.com]] |access-date=24 October 2016}}</ref>

Cole married his long-time girlfriend Shirley Dewar in July 2002.<ref name=Shirley/> Their son, [[Devante Cole|Devante]], is also a professional footballer who plays as a forward for [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]].

In 2008, Cole was questioned by police after an alleged assault on his wife at their home in [[Alderley Edge]], [[Cheshire]], before being released on [[bail]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/feb/26/newsstory.sport12 |title=Cole questioned by police over wife 'assault' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=26 February 2008 |access-date=10 November 2016}}</ref> Six months later, Cole, through his representative law firm [[Schillings]], won [[damages]] in an action against the owners of the ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]'' for [[defamation]] regarding the publication of material concerning the assault allegations and for harms caused against his family by sensationalist reports.<ref name=Shirley>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7532945.stm |title=Cole wins 'beating' claim pay-out |publisher=BBC News |date=30 July 2008 |access-date=10 November 2016}}</ref>

In April 2016, Cole was named in the [[Panama Papers]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/06/panama-papers-reveal-offshore-dealings-stars |title=From Kubrick to Cowell: Panama Papers expose offshore dealings of the stars |newspaper=The Guardian |date=6 April 2016}}</ref>

Cole has condemned racial incidents in football on various occasions. In a CNN interview, Cole said that football's authorities are not doing enough to fight racism in the sport and are content to "sweep it under the carpet".<ref>{{Citation |title=Andy Cole: Racism gets "swept under the carpet" {{!}} CNN |date=2023-06-23 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2023/06/23/exp-lewis-cole-racism-062308seg3-cnni-sports.cnn |access-date=2023-12-11 |language=en}}</ref> In another interview, he condemned an incident involving [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]]'s [[Vinícius Júnior]] where a fan racially abused the player. Cole said that the comments from the head of [[La Liga]], suggested a permissive attitude towards racism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yershon |first=Russ |date=2023-06-06 |title=Andy Cole talks exclusively to Punters.pub - Punters.pub |url=https://punters.pub/news/andy-cole-exclusive-5-june/ |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.punters.pub |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Health===
In June 2014, Cole suffered [[kidney failure]] after developing [[focal segmental glomerulosclerosis]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/former-man-united-striker-andy-cole-undergoes-kidney-transplant-1.3040324|title=Former Man United striker Andy Cole undergoes kidney transplant: Club ambassador has a condition called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis|date=2017-04-07|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=2017-04-07}}</ref> In April 2017, he underwent a [[kidney transplant]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-39527374|title=Andrew Cole: Former Manchester United and England star has kidney op|date=2017-04-07|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-04-07|language=en-GB}}</ref> His nephew Alexander was the donor.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jepson|first1=Anthony|title=Manchester United great Andy Cole thanks two former teammates as he battles to regain full health|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-utd-news-andy-cole-13564294|access-date=6 November 2017|work=Manchester Evening News|date=3 September 2017}}</ref>

===Charity work===
In 2000, Cole visited [[Zimbabwe]] and returned to set up his own charitable foundation, called the Andy Cole Children's Foundation, which helped [[AIDS]] [[orphans]] in the country. The charity has since closed down.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200205140493.html Zimbabwe: Cole Set to Visit This Week] allAfrica.com, 14 May 2002</ref> He has since set up the Andy Cole Fund to raise money for [[Kidney Research UK]], after suffering kidney failure in 2015 after contracting an airborne virus.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52484923 |title=Andrew Cole: Ex-Manchester United & Newcastle striker says 'no day comes easy' |website=BBC Sport |date=30 April 2020 |access-date=22 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://kidneyresearchuk.org/andycolefund/ |title=Let's change the game |website=Andy Cole Fund |publisher=Kidney Research UK |access-date=22 October 2020}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|[[FA Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[EFL Cup|League Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[UEFA#Club|Europe]]
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
|[[1989–90 Arsenal F.C. season|1989–90]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||0||0||0||0
|-
|[[1990–91 Arsenal F.C. season|1990–91]]
|First Division
|1||0||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||1||0
|-
|[[1991–92 Arsenal F.C. season|1991–92]]
|First Division
|0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||1{{efn|name=CS|Appearance in [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]]}}||0||1||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!1!!0!!2!!0
|-
|[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] (loan)
|[[1991–92 Fulham F.C. season|1991–92]]
|[[Football League Third Division|Third Division]]
|13||3||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||2{{efn|name=FLT|Appearances in [[EFL Trophy|Associate Members' Cup]]}}||1||15||4
|-
|[[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] (loan)
|[[1991–92 Bristol City F.C. season|1991–92]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|12||8||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||12||8
|-
|rowspan="2"|Bristol City
|[[1992–93 Bristol City F.C. season|1992–93]]
|First Division
|29||12||1||0||3||4||colspan=2|—||4{{efn|name=AIC|Appearances in [[Anglo-Italian Cup]]}}||1||37||17
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!41!!20!!1!!0!!3!!4!!colspan=2|—!!4!!1!!49!!25
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]
|[[1992–93 Newcastle United F.C. season|1992–93]]
|First Division
|12||12||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||12||12
|-
|[[1993–94 Newcastle United F.C. season|1993–94]]
|[[Premier League]]
|40||34||3||1||2||6||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||45||41
|-
|[[1994–95 Newcastle United F.C. season|1994–95]]
|Premier League
|18||9||1||0||5||2||3{{efn|name=UC|Appearance(s) in [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]}}||4||colspan=2|—||27||15
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!70!!55!!4!!1!!7!!8!!3!!4!!colspan=2|—!!84!!68
|-
|rowspan="9"|[[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
|[[1994–95 Manchester United F.C. season|1994–95]]
|Premier League
|18||12||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||18||12
|-
|[[1995–96 Manchester United F.C. season|1995–96]]
|Premier League
|34||11||7||2||1||0||1{{efn|name=UC}}||0||colspan=2|—||43||13
|-
|[[1996–97 Manchester United F.C. season|1996–97]]
|Premier League
|20||6||3||0||0||0||5{{efn|name=UCL|Appearances in [[UEFA Champions League]]}}||1||0||0||28||7
|-
|[[1997–98 Manchester United F.C. season|1997–98]]
|Premier League
|33||15||3||5||1||0||7{{efn|name=UCL}}||5||1{{efn|name=CS}}||0||45||25
|-
|[[1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season|1998–99]]
|Premier League
|32||17||7||2||0||0||10{{efn|name=UCL}}||5||1{{efn|name=CS}}||0||50||24
|-
|[[1999–2000 Manchester United F.C. season|1999–2000]]
|Premier League
|28||19||colspan=2|—||0||0||13{{efn|name=UCL}}||3||4{{efn|name=MU|One appearance in [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]], one in [[UEFA Super Cup]], two in [[FIFA Club World Cup|FIFA Club World Championship]]}}||0||45||22
|-
|[[2000–01 Manchester United F.C. season|2000–01]]
|Premier League
|19||9||1||0||0||0||10{{efn|name=UCL}}||4||1{{efn|name=CS}}||0||31||13
|-
|[[2001–02 Manchester United F.C. season|2001–02]]
|Premier League
|11||4||colspan=2|—||0||0||4{{efn|name=UCL}}||1||0||0||15||5
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!195!!93!!21!!9!!2!!0!!50!!19!!7!!0!!275!!121
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]
|[[2001–02 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season|2001–02]]
|Premier League
|15||9||2||1||3||3||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||20||13
|-
|[[2002–03 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season|2002–03]]
|Premier League
|34||7||2||2||4||4||3{{efn|name=UC}}||0||colspan=2|—||43||13
|-
|[[2003–04 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season|2003–04]]
|Premier League
|34||11||1||0||1||0||1{{efn|name=UC}}||0||colspan=2|—||37||11
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!83!!27!!5!!3!!8!!7!!4!!0!!colspan=2|—!!100!!37
|-
|Fulham
|[[2004–05 Fulham F.C. season|2004–05]]
|Premier League
|31||12||5||0||3||1||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||39||13
|-
|[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
|[[2005–06 Manchester City F.C. season|2005–06]]
|Premier League
|22||9||1||1||0||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||23||10
|-
|[[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]]
|[[2006–07 Portsmouth F.C. season|2006–07]]
|Premier League
|18||3||2||1||2||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||22||4
|-
|[[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] (loan)
|[[2006–07 Birmingham City F.C. season|2006–07]]
|[[EFL Championship|Championship]]
|5||1||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||5||1
|-
|[[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]
|[[2007–08 Sunderland A.F.C. season|2007–08]]
|Premier League
|7||0||1||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||8||0
|-
|[[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] (loan)
|[[2007–08 Burnley F.C. season|2007–08]]
|Championship
|13||6||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||13||6
|-
|[[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]
|[[2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season|2008–09]]
|Championship
|10||0||0||0||1||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||11||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Total
!509!!229!!40!!15!!26!!20!!57!!23!!14!!2!!646!!289
|}
{{notelist}}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{cite web|title=1063 Andrew Cole (1995 - 2001)|url=https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1063|website=Englandstats.com|access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
| rowspan="5" |[[England National Football Team|England]]||1995||1||0
|-
|1997||1||0
|-
|1999||4||0
|-
|2000||4||0
|-
|2001||5||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total!!15!!1
|}

:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cole goal.''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Andy Cole
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
|style="text-align:center"|1
|{{dts|28 April 2001}}
|[[Arena Kombëtare]], [[Tirana]], Albania
|{{fb|Albania}}
|style="text-align:center"|3–1
|style="text-align:center"|3–1
|[[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2002 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Albania vs. England |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/matches/report/21344/Albania_England.html|website=National-football-teams.com |access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
|}

==Honours==
'''Arsenal'''
*[[FA Community Shield|FA Charity Shield]]: [[1991 FA Charity Shield|1991]] (shared)

'''Newcastle United'''
*[[Football League First Division]]: [[1992–93 Football League First Division|1992–93]]

'''Manchester United'''
*[[Premier League]]: [[1995–96 FA Premier League|1995–96]], [[1996–97 FA Premier League|1996–97]], [[1998–99 FA Premier League|1998–99]], [[1999–2000 FA Premier League|1999–2000]], [[2000–01 FA Premier League|2000–01]]<ref name=PremProfile>{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/725/Andrew-Cole/overview |title=Andrew Cole: Overview |publisher=Premier League |access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref>
*[[FA Cup]]: [[1995–96 FA Cup|1995–96]], [[1998–99 FA Cup|1998–99]]
*FA Charity Shield: [[1997 FA Charity Shield|1997]]
*[[UEFA Champions League]]: [[1998–99 UEFA Champions League|1998–99]]

'''Blackburn Rovers'''
*[[EFL Cup|Football League Cup]]: [[2001–02 Football League Cup|2001–02]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/worthington_cup/1834988.stm |title=Cole strike stuns Spurs |website=BBC Sport |date=24 February 2002 |access-date=27 March 2024}}</ref>

'''England'''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Campbell |first1=Paul |last2=Lacey |first2=David |name-list-style=amp |date=25 Jun 2013 |title=From the Vault: Recalling How England Won Le Tournoi de France in 1997 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/jun/25/vault-england-le-tournoi-france-1997 |website=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Tournoi de France]]: [[1997 Tournoi de France|1997]]

'''Individual'''
*[[Premier League Golden Boot]]: [[1993–94 FA Premier League#Annual awards|1993–94]]<ref name=PremProfile/>
*[[PFA Young Player of the Year]]: 1993–94
*[[Premier League Hall of Fame]]: 2024<ref>{{cite web |title=Andrew Cole and John Terry inducted into Hall of Fame|url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/3972663|access-date=22 April 2024 |date=22 April 2024 |publisher=Premier League}}</ref>
*[[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] Player of the Year: [[1993–94 Newcastle United F.C. season|1993–94]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/joelinton-scoops-newcastle-united-player-of-the-year-award/ |title=Joelinton scoops Newcastle United Player of the Year award |author=Rory Mitchinson |website=Newcastle United F.C. |date=16 May 2022 |access-date=19 October 2023}}</ref>
*[[Premier League Player of the Month]]: [[1997–98 FA Premier League#Monthly awards|November 1997]]<ref name=PremProfile/>
*[[PFA Team of the Year]]: [[PFA Team of the Year (2000s)#FA Premier League|1999–2000 Premier League]]

==Relationships with other players==
[[Neil Ruddock]] considered Cole to be the player he most enjoyed playing against. In a candid interview with [[Talksport]], he jokingly referred to the incident that resulted in Cole suffering two broken legs in 1997 as "not big, and not clever", adding "but it was great", and that "I didn't mean to break both of his legs if I'm honest, I only meant to break one".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXxTyIKDrzo|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/UXxTyIKDrzo|archive-date=14 November 2021 |url-status=live|title=Neil Ruddock on breaking Andy Cole's legs (Video)|date=17 June 2010 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=22 August 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2010, Cole wrote in his column in ''[[The Independent]]'' he had "loathed" and "pretty much detested" former Manchester United and England teammate [[Teddy Sheringham]] "for 15 years" after Sheringham did not offer to shake Cole's hand as Cole was substituted on for Sheringham to make his England debut in a match against Uruguay at Wembley in 1995.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-the-real-reason-ive-hated-sheringham-for-15-years-he-refused-to-shake-my-hand-1915658.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-the-real-reason-ive-hated-sheringham-for-15-years-he-refused-to-shake-my-hand-1915658.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Andy Cole Column: The real reason I've hated Sheringham for 15 years: he refused to shake my hand|date=4 March 2010|access-date=18 July 2013|work=The Independent}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Soccerbase}}

{{Navboxes
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{{1999–2000 Premier League Team of the Year}}
{{Premier League Golden Boot}}
{{Premier League Hall of Fame}}
{{PFA Young Player of the Year}}
{{Newcastle United F.C. Player of the Year}}
{{Newcastle United F.C. Hall of Fame}}
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{{Portal bar|Association football|England|Biography}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Andrew}}
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