Edwin van der Sar and Andrew Cole have been nominated for the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame recognises and celebrates the exceptional skill and talent of individuals who have graced the Premier League since its inception in 1992. It is the highest individual honour awarded to players by the league.
Patrick Vieira and Wayne Rooney were inducted this week, and now a shortlist of 25 has been drawn up, with fans able to vote for the six players they feel would be most worthy of making the Hall of Fame.
Fulham made headlines in 2001 when, fresh from winning the old Division One, we pulled off a remarkable transfer coup in persuading van der Sar to join from Juventus.
The Netherlands number one certainly did not disappoint. In his four seasons at Craven Cottage he made 154 appearances and kept 52 clean sheets – an impressive figure in a newly promoted side.
His finest match arguably came at Highbury in 2003 when the Whites held a brilliant Arsenal side to a goalless draw, pretty much single-handedly thanks to van der Sar. It was the first time the then league leaders had failed to score at home in 47 matches.
Cole has previously been nominated as an inductee, but missed out last year.
The striker remains the third most prolific scorer the Premier League has ever seen, with 12 of his 187 goals netted during his solitary season with Fulham.
Cole was 33-years-old by the time he moved on from SW6, but he had still showed that predatory instinct which had served him so well in his career, top scoring for Chris Coleman’s side who finished comfortably mid-table.
Voting is open from now until 9pm on Sunday 3rd April.
