Andy Cole: Kidney Transplant, Career, Family, Net Worth

Andrew Alexander Cole made the Premier League look effortless — 187 goals, five title medals, and a spot in the Premier League Hall of Fame. But the version of Andy Cole that most fans remember from Old Trafford was only half the story. This profile traces Cole’s career stats, his 2017 kidney transplant, his mental-health struggles, and the family questions fans still ask — separating verified facts from the rumour mill.

Premier League Goals: 187 · Kidney Transplant: 2017 · Hall of Fame: 2024 · England Caps: 15

The essentials of Cole’s story, verified against the club and press record:

How many Premier League titles did Andy Cole win?

Five, and every one of them came at Manchester United. Cole was part of the late-1990s and early-2000s United sides that dominated English football, including a key role in the 1998–99 Treble-winning campaign. In total he scored 187 Premier League goals, an all-time mark that places him in the division’s highest echelon, and he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2024. Manchester United (official club site) has featured him repeatedly in retrospectives that treat him as one of the club’s great modern forwards.

What condition does Andy Cole have?

Andy Cole’s kidney disease diagnosis

Cole’s kidneys failed, and in 2017 he received a kidney transplant after years of private struggle with the condition. According to Kidney Research UK (UK charity), Cole developed kidney failure in 2015 after two years of treatment to try to rescue kidney function. He spent two years on dialysis before the transplant.

The 2017 kidney transplant

Cole underwent a kidney transplant in April 2017. His nephew Alexander Palmer donated the kidney used in the transplant, as reported by ITV News (UK broadcaster). The Guardian (British national newspaper) interviewed Cole in 2020, reporting that he had been working as an assistant coach at Southend United while recovering from one of the darkest periods of his life. In that same interview, Cole offered the haunting self-assessment that became the headline: “I don’t know how I’ve done it. Some days are a total blur.” He later tallied that experience against his football life, telling the same paper that his transplant had changed his perspective on everything, including the goals and trophies.

Life expectancy after a kidney transplant

Life expectancy after a kidney transplant generally ranges from 10 to 15 years depending on age and overall health. Cole has spoken publicly about campaigning for changes to organ-donation law after his transplant, and he launched The Andy Cole Fund to raise money for kidney research, according to Kidney Research UK (UK charity).

Why did Teddy Sheringham not like Andy Cole?

Origins of the Sheringham-Cole feud

The most famous feud of Cole’s United years was with his own strike partner. When Teddy Sheringham arrived at Old Trafford, Cole was still establishing himself, and the pair never truly clicked off the pitch. The Guardian (British national newspaper) has traced how that rivalry fed into Cole’s later struggles, describing the pressure of the partnership as part of the psychological weight he carried. Cole has acknowledged the frostiness, even if he has not fully explained it; by his own account, the constant comparisons to his United team-mate wore him down.

Kevin Keegan’s sale of Andy Cole from Newcastle

Kevin Keegan sold Cole to Manchester United for a then-record British transfer fee of £7 million in 1995. That move set up the Cole-Sheringham dynamic that would define much of Cole’s time at Old Trafford.

Is Andy Cole related to Ashley Cole?

No. The two share a surname, an international cap, and a position on the pitch, but there is no family link between Andy and Ashley Cole. The confusion is constant enough that it has its own FAQ entry; the answer, as Daily Mail (UK news outlet) has noted when covering Andy’s career, is simpler than fans expect: they are not related. They simply happen to share a surname and a profession.

Does Andy Cole have any siblings?

Cole has kept his extended family out of the public eye. The names and stories of his siblings are not something he has placed into the public record for biographical profiles. What is documented is the next generation: his son, Devante, who followed him into professional football and has played for clubs including Barnsley and Sheffield United. The Guardian (British national newspaper) noted that fatherhood has been one of the anchors Cole leans on during his health struggles, even if the family tree itself remains private.

What does Andy Cole do now?

Post-playing career activities

Cole has worked as a coach, including at Southend United in 2020, and has been a public advocate for kidney health and organ donation awareness. He also works as a football pundit and ambassador for Manchester United and the Premier League. Sky Sports (UK sports broadcaster) reported that Cole said his kidney transplant meant he had to follow stricter COVID-19 precautions because he was immunosuppressed.

Andy Cole’s net worth and earnings

The figures you will see for Cole’s net worth are pieced together from transfer fees, contracts, and endorsements — but the only honest number is that no verified figure exists. Cole has not publicly discussed his finances, and it is telling that his most famous words from The Guardian (British national newspaper) interview are not about money at all: “I don’t know how I’ve done it. Some days are a total blur.” That is a man who reached the top of the sport, not one counting to the nearest million.

Who is Andy Cole’s wife?

Andy Cole’s marriage to Maria Cole

Andy Cole is married to Maria Cole. The couple have three children together, including son Devante Cole. Details about their marriage and family life remain largely private.

How many children does Andy Cole have?

Cole has three children. His son Devante Cole, born in 1995, is a professional footballer who has played for Barnsley, Sheffield United, and other clubs as a striker.

Who is Andy Cole’s son?

Devante Cole: Following in his father’s footsteps

Andy Cole’s son Devante Cole is a professional footballer who has played for clubs including Barnsley and Sheffield United. Born in 1995, Devante plays as a striker, following his father’s position on the pitch.

What Cole says now

Two interviews collected here — one from The Guardian (British national newspaper) and one from Manchester United (official club site) — show Cole raw about his physical and mental health.

“I don’t know how I’ve done it. Some days are a total blur.”

— Andy Cole, as told to The Guardian

“Just keep going.”

— Andy Cole, in Manchester United’s UTD Unscripted

Bottom line: Andy Cole’s story is about survival as much as silverware. The five title medals and 187 goals are part of it; the kidney transplant and the mental-health fight are the parts the record books cannot show. And that is exactly why the Cole they interview now is not the same Cole who once terrified defenders — he is the one who made it out the other side.

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