Fast Forward: The Autobiography: The Hard Road to Football Success

Andrew Cole was born in Nottingham in 1971. His career began at Arsenal but having made only a handful of first team appearances he went out on loan, firstly to Fulham and then to Bristol City.

In 1992, he made a permanent move to Bristol, and having scored over 20 goals in a matter of months he was signed by Newcastle, where he became a hugely popular figure, scoring a club record 41 goals in the 1993/94 season.

In January 1995, Cole was signed by Manchester United. At Old Trafford, he went on to have an outstanding seven years, scoring 121 goals in 275 games, winning five Premier League titles, two F.A Cups and the Champions League.

In late 2001, Cole signed for Blackburn Rovers where he won the League Cup before finishing his career at a number of clubs including Manchester City and Sunderland. He retired in 2008 having scored 187 Premier League goals (a feat only bettered by Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney). In 2015, Cole suffered renal failure and two years later he had a kidney transplant.

He now enjoys his role as club ambassador at Manchester United.