9 Football Legends Who Ended Up Hated By Their Fans
5. Ashley Cole
Another success story turned public enemy, Ashley Cole might have been Englands most consistent player, but he will forever be known as the greedy one that got away for Arsenal fans. At Highbury Cole established himself quickly as the first-choice left-back and picked up seven major honours spanning from 2001 to 2004, but then Chelsea welcomed in new billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, and the Blues were found guilty of tapping-up Cole in a sneaky hotel meeting, and a transfer saga began. Despite signing a one-year contract extension, Cole fuelled speculation over his departure when he launched a verbal attack on Arsenal, claiming they had fed him to the sharks," and just a month later, the clubs agreed a deal that saw William Gallas move in the opposite direction. Cole meanwhile got over his issues by picking up a bumper pay-check more suited to his own opinion of his abilities, and then won a Premier League title, two Champions Leagues and became the most decorated player in FA Cup history, with seven winners medals. Now cemented as the best left-back of his generation, Arsenal can only stress over what might have been. Cole will always remain a thorn in Arsene Wengers side, one of his only mistakes as a manager, but more importantly, Cole comes pretty close to top spot on Arsenals hitlist.
Connor is a Sports Journalism student at Staffordshire University. He is an accredited MMA journalist, covering events such as BAMMA. He also writes for KingdomMMA.co.uk and he presents a radio show for One Media Group called Sports Talk Live.
