Manchester United treble hero Andy Cole has provided a stark and detailed account of the bitter feud with former teammate Teddy Sheringham that led to years of silence between the two strikers.
The England Debut Snub That Started It All
Cole, now 54, has pinpointed the origin of the animosity to a pivotal moment during his England debut. Speaking on the In The Mixer podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Cole recalled the instant the rift began. "It started when I was playing for England," Cole explained. "I was going to make my England debut. He [Sheringham] was coming off and he just snubbed me on the line."
The striker described his immediate reaction, stating his head "just falls off" at the perceived disrespect. He contrasted Sheringham's action with the tradition he grew up watching, where a substituted player would always acknowledge their replacement, especially on a debut. For Cole, this first slight was a fundamental breach of respect that planted the seed of lasting discord.
Tensions Explode at Old Trafford
The situation deteriorated further when Sheringham arrived at Manchester United in 1997. Cole, who had joined from Newcastle in a record-breaking move and was instrumental in the club's success, saw trouble ahead. "When he joined Man United, I remember sitting there and saying to myself, 'Oh my gosh, problems, problems,'" he admitted.
The first day in the dressing room set the tone, with other players jokingly labelling them as best mates, which only heightened the awkwardness. The tension escalated during a pre-season trip. "He said something to me. I'm like, 'Do you know how long I've been at Man United now? I think I know how to play,'" Cole recounted, describing this as the moment the "time bomb" was set.
The Dressing Room Blow-Up and Lasting Silence
The final, explosive incident occurred after a 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers. Cole alleges that Sheringham blamed him for the conceded goal. "I lost it. Proper lost it," Cole stated. He famously rushed off the pitch, waiting for Sheringham in the dressing room where a furious confrontation ensued.
The altercation was serious enough to force manager Sir Alex Ferguson to intervene. "The manager pulls me in. He said, 'This can't go on. I know you two don't get on, but I can't condone that in the dressing room,'" Cole revealed. That managerial warning marked the definitive end of their communication. "I never had another conversation with Sheringham" for the remainder of their time together at United, a period during which they famously won the historic treble in 1999 and five Premier League titles.
Despite their professional success, the personal rift remained absolute for years. Sheringham has since claimed the hatchet was buried during a chance meeting at a nightclub in 2019, with the pair now reportedly on cordial terms. However, Cole's candid retelling underscores the profound and lasting impact those three critical strikes had on one of football's most storied internal rivalries.
