Andy Cole: 'Life is not to be taken for granted'
Michael Bolton
Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole has called for academies to do more to produce strikers.
Having scored 187 goals in the Premier League, Cole knows what it takes to succeed in that role.
However, with many clubs – including his former side, Manchester United – in the hunt for a striker, it is clear there are not as many top forwards in modern-day football.
Cole says he doesn't see any player like him in the game today and believes there is no better feeling than scoring a goal.
“If you look at the academies, I don’t think centre-forwards are coming through now.
Kids want to play as number 10s now. For me, there is nothing better than watching a number nine run into the box and get a tap-in from five yards.
If you put it in the top bins, it’s still only a goal. That is my thought process.
In the next generation, you’ll see the number nine coming back – kids who want to run into the box and get tap-ins instead of hanging around the edge of the area trying to put one in the top bins.
A goal is a goal, and you celebrate the same way.”
Cole says Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is the only true number nine in the Premier League but hopes to see more emerge in the coming years.
“There are no number nines. In the Premier League, there’s one club with a number nine – that’s Manchester City.
If Liverpool go on to win the league, you look at Salah – 29 league goals this season, phenomenal – but he plays all across the front. Special player.
I’m hoping the lack of number nines is cyclical. You might see, in a few years, people going back to playing two up front. You don’t know.
It’s like, at the moment, flares are coming back in – in a few years’ time, it’ll be skinny jeans again. Football’s the same.”
Cole was speaking in Ireland – a country with huge support for Manchester United, particularly during his time at the club, which saw United win the treble in 1999.
The captain of that famous team was Roy Keane – a player known for his uncompromising approach and relentless pursuit of success.
These days, we’re used to seeing Keane on our screens every weekend, delivering his trademark no-nonsense punditry – often cutthroat, but widely appreciated.
As someone who shared the pitch with the former Ireland midfielder, Cole says Keane simply wanted the best from everyone around him.
“For me, I always say this about Roy – he’s just honest. Sometimes people don’t like honesty, but personally, it never bothered me.
I enjoyed playing with him. A fantastic captain – anyone who played under him will tell you that. All he ever wanted from you was 100 per cent. If you gave him that, he was more than happy.
I think with Roy, because he was so good at what he did, he couldn’t understand when players couldn’t do what he could do.”
The former England striker also praised Keane for his off-pitch character, particularly for checking in during Cole’s illness.
“That’s the side people don’t see of Roy. He’s always prepared to put himself out – get the phone out and send a little text message.
People don’t see that side.
He reaches out to me and checks in on my health.”
Cole received an organ donation from his nephew in April 2017 after suffering kidney failure, having contracted an airborne virus two years earlier.
He says the experience has changed his perspective on life.
“When you play professional football for so long, you do take liberties. You do, to a certain extent, burn the candle at both ends.
In your head, you’re super fit, and nothing’s going to happen. You go train, you might nick a night out, have a few drinks – maybe one too many.
It’s not until you go through something serious that you actually look at yourself and say, ‘I’ve taken liberties.’
Life is not to be taken for granted, and tomorrow might not come – so box clever. I appreciate life a hell of a lot more now. Tomorrow is not a given, so you have to live today for what it is.”
