outcome, which is to win trophies, which he did many times.
He also has the most clean sheets and most goals of any defender in the competition’s history.But what exactly were the qualities that made Terry so good?
“He was brave and he read the game really well. He seems to sometimes get an ‘old school’ tag, but he was a very good and intelligent footballer. He could use his left foot and right foot equally well,” says Cahill.
“One of the first things that stands out is his leadership, the way that he can take control of a group and drive players and drive standards in the club and in the team. He was destined to be a captain.”He’d take control of details – down to the food, down to the treatment – and try and get the players the best outcome, which is to win trophies, which he did many times.
“He was fully committed to wholehearted defending. That was the way he played, the way he trained. He wanted to win everything that he did. In training, he’d want to win the small-sided game, even wanted to win head tennis.
“When I first started training with him, there were two things that stood out: how tidy he was with the ball, and how well he read the game.
“You never really see the best centre-backs getting exposed in many one-v-one situations because they read the game so well.
“I felt like I just had to worry about what I was doing knowing full well he’s taking care of what he’s doing.”He was so established in his position, so experienced and so good. Sometimes you’ve had partnerships where you’re not quite sure what your teammate is going to do, what position he’s going to be in. John made life a lot easier.
“Even if you discount five of because you might miss a couple, but that’s another 25 goals added to the tally.
“He never took penalties, never wanted to take penalties,” Shearer explains. “I’ve had that conversation with him, and I find it difficult to understand why. I mean, his goals record is phenomenal anyway, but you can imagine how much better it would have been if he had taken more penalties.”Ferdinand echoes Shearer, saying Cole would easily have surpassed 200 Premier League goals had he taken penalties.
“If you’re conservative and say three penalties a season at any one club, and as a conservative estimate, over a 10-year period, that’s another 30 goals that you’ve probably left on the table,” says Ferdinand, who is the player with the most goals in Premier League history without any coming from a penalty, with 149.
“Even if you discount five of because you might miss a couple, but that’s another 25 goals added to the tally.
“It just goes to show how prolific he was as an individual to score 180-odd goals without any penalties, just phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal.”Terry has been chosen as one of three 2024 inductees, joining the home of the greats alongside Ashley Cole and Andrew Cole.
Cahill played alongside Terry in two title-winning campaigns, forming a formidable centre-back partnership that helped Chelsea lift the Premier League Trophy in 2014/15 and 2016/17.”John Terry is one of the best centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen. For him to join the Hall of Fame is thoroughly deserved,” says Cahill.
“The fans have recognised that and, in my opinion, rightly selected John. As soon as I saw he was up for the vote, I just thought it was a formality.”
Terry captained Chelsea to five titles overall, the most by any player as a captain in the Premier League era. He is the only player to feature in all five of Chelsea’s title-winning seasons.
Shearer says Cole was born to score.
Ferdinand says: “He deserves it without a shadow of a doubt. He’s been retired well over 10 years and he’s still the fourth-highest goal scorer in the Premier League. Look at Andy’s achievements as a player, he’s won everything he could possibly win domestically.
“Every club that he’s been at people will look at him as a legend. Everywhere he’s gone people will look at him as a great student while he was at the club and I think that’s one of the highest accolades you can have as a player.”
Cole scored 187 goals in the Premier League and won five titles, a Golden Boot and a famous Treble with Manchester United in 1998/99.
Few know better about finding the back of the net than Shearer, whose 260 goals make him one of only three players to score more in the competition than Cole.
Shearer says Cole was born to score.
“He [Cole] made goalscoring look very easy when it is not!” says Shearer. “He was an instinctive finisher, one of those where he just didn’t have to think, it just looked as if it came naturally to him. Scoring goals from every single position – from different angles, left foot, right foot, volleys, everything. He was as good as there was at that particular time when he was playing.
“When you look at the goals he scored and the number, it is phenomenal. You see why he has the respect that he has within the game. We all understand what a great goal scorer he was.”
Incredibly, only one of Cole’s goals came from the penalty spot, meaning he ranks second in Premier League history for non-penalty goals, one ahead of Wayne Rooney and just 18 behind Shearer.
Cole has been chosen as one of three 2024 inductees
“Captain, leader, legend”. Chelsea fans’ slogan for their hero rang true as the defender captained the Blues to five titles, the most by any player as a captain in the Premier League era. He is the only player to feature in all five of Chelsea’s title-winning seasons.
One of the best centre-backs in the competition’s history, Terry led by example with his willingness to put his body on the line.
He also contributed at the other end of the pitch, scoring 41 goals, more than any other defender.Terry made 116 Premier League appearances in London derby matches, with only Frank Lampard appearing in more (139).
Between March 2004 and October 2008, Terry went 73 consecutive Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge without losing. Only four players have ever had a longer run of unbeaten home matches.Two of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers, Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand, have paid tribute to the “phenomenal” Andrew Cole after the legendary striker was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Cole has been chosen as one of three 2024 inductees, entering the home of the greats alongside Ashley Cole and John Terry. Shearer and Ferdinand, both of whom played alongside Cole for England, and against him in the Premier League, say Cole should be considered among the greatest ever goalscorers.
“When you’re inducted into that Hall of Fame, there’s a reason why you’re in there. It’s because of what others feel and think about you and because of what you’ve achieved in your career,” says Shearer, the Premier League’s record goalscorer and one of the inaugural Hall of Fame inductees.
“We’ve been blessed with some incredible footballers in the Premier League from 1992 when it started to now in 2024. Andrew Cole has been put into that list and that bracket because he was a great goal scorer. He was a natural goal scorer and made it look very, very easy, when we all know it’s the most difficult part of the job!”