Former Chelsea and Arsenal star Ashley Cole may be the Premier League’s greatest ever left-back.
In total, Cole made 384 appearances in the Premier League, winning three titles along the way.
The 44-year-old also won 107 caps for England. Simply put, Cole is an absolute icon of the English game.
Even so, the Chelsea legend has been very modest about how much he would be worth today, perhaps even too modest!
Chelsea legend Ashley Cole holding Premier League trophy
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Ashley Cole claims he’d only be worth £10m in current market
While with England Under-21s, Lee Carsley’s assistant manager was asked how much does he think he would be worth today. Cole’s reply was a surprising one.
In response, the retired defender said: “10 million”. It was an answer that shocked the person asking the question.
It is not a surprise that the interviewer was taken aback a bit, with Cole being one of the greatest left-backs in football history.
Today, left-backs such as Milos Kerkez are being transferred for big money. Liverpool paid Bournemouth £40m for his signature during the summer.
If Kerkez is worth £40m, Cole would have to be worth double that minimum! As for Liverpool’s rivals Chelsea, they have Marc Cucurella currently playing on the left side of their defence.
Right now, Cucurella is probably playing close to the level Cole was at during his career. Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara recently singled out Cucurella for praise, hailing him as one of the best defenders in the world.
Marc Cucurella during Chelsea against Brighton in the Premier League.
Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
How much Chelsea paid for Marc Cucurella and Jorrel Hato
Cucurella is doing well now, but that always would have been the expectation. He cost Chelsea a lot of money, a £62m fee to be precise.
His deputy, Jorrel Hato, was not exactly cheap either. The club paid £37m for his signature.
They are good players, but Cole was on another level. In this market, you probably are looking at £80m for his signature. Ten million pounds could not even buy his boots.