Former England defender Ashley Cole is planning a move into coaching after calling time on his illustrious playing career.
Cole won 13 major titles during his 20-year career, including the 2012 Champions League with Chelsea, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup triumphs.
The 38-year-old, who also won 107 caps for England, announced his retirement on Sky Sports before acting as a pundit for the afternoonās Premier League games.
āAfter hard thinking and consideration, it was obviously time to hang my boots up and look towards my next chapter, which will hopefully be coaching. Iām doing a course at the moment,ā Cole said. āNow I want to be great at being a coach.ā
Asked to sum up a career in which he made almost 700 appearances at club level for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Roma and LA Galaxy, Cole added: āIncredible to be honest.
āAs a young kid I never expected to be a professional so looking back now to be able to say I played in World Cups, Champions League finalsā¦ being lucky enough to lift Premier League titles is a young kidās dream so Iāve fulfilled my dream.ā
Despite winning so many trophies with Arsenal and Chelsea, Cole said he was proudest of his England caps. Only Peter Shilton, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Bobby Moore have made more England appearances.
āI probably didnāt grasp it as much as I should,ā Cole added. āI look back now and Iāve played for my country, not just once but Iāve managed to play over 100 times.
āIām proud of that and itās just a little bit disappointing I didnāt get to a final or even a semi-final with England.ā
Cole began his career with Arsenal and, after a brief loan spell at Crystal Palace, went on to make more than 200 appearances for the Gunners, lifting the FA Cup three times and winning the Premier League twice.
He was a member of the āInvinciblesā who went through the 2003-04 Premier League season unbeaten, but left the club in acrimonious circumstances in 2006.
Cole was fined Ā£100,000 ā later reduced to Ā£75,000 on appeal ā for his part in an illegal approach from Chelsea in 2005, the club he would join for Ā£5 million the following year.
It was a move which angered Arsenal fans, who dubbed him āCashleyā after learning via his autobiography that Cole had ānearly swerved off the roadā after being told by his agent that Arsenal were offering Ā£55,000 per week in contract negotiations, compared to Ā£90,000 from Chelsea.
Cole won the FA Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge and four times in total and also won the Premier League in 2010 and the Champions League in 2012, scoring in the penalty shoot-out as Chelsea beat Bayern Munich.
After leaving Chelsea in 2014 Cole enjoyed spells with Roma and LA Galaxy before ending his playing career under former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard at Derby.
Copy provided by Press Association Sport