Campbell Kevin
Kevin Joseph Campbell was an English professional footballer, sports television pundit and commentator. A striker, Campbell played in the Premier League for Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Everton and West Bromwich Albion. He also played in the Turkish Süper Lig for Trabzonspor, and in the Football League for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Leicester City and Cardiff City. Campbell was capped four times by England U21, scoring once, and received a call-up to the England B team in 1991, for whom he earned one cap. Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985. He was prolific for Arsenal’s Academy, scoring 59 goals in one season. Campbell also won the FA Youth Cup of 1988 with Arsenal. He went on to make his first-team debut against Everton on 7 May 1988, although the club’s forward positions at the time were usually taken by Paul Merson and Alan Smith. Campbell earned four caps for the England U-21s and one for England B. He holds the record of being the English player who has scored the most goals in the Premier League without earning a senior cap for his country. In September 1992 he was on stand-by for a friendly against Spain, but this was the nearest he got to being in the senior squad. Campbell was featured on the Sky Sports series Where are They Now? in 2008, when he was the co-owner of security company T1 Protection, specialising in supplying bodyguards to celebrities and other wealthy customers whilst travelling abroad. He also worked with Asia-based Sony TEN as a commentator for their Premier League and Champions League coverage. Campbell ran a record label, 2 Wikid, first signing rapper Mark Morrison, who had previously topped the charts with “Return of the Mack” in 1996. In December 2004, he obtained a court injunction against rival label Jet Star to prevent it from releasing Morrison’s album, Innocent Man. The injunction was lifted shortly afterward. The first single released by 2 Wikid was that of Panjabi MC’s tune “Backstabbers”, a remix of Morrison’s original song, which had been released in 2004.
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This shirt was worn by Kevin Campbell during the season 2005/2006 with West Bromwich Albion F.C. Campbell moved to West Bromwich Albion in January 2005 on a free transfer and helped the club retain its Premiership status. This endeavour marked the first time that a club that had been at the bottom of the top division on Christmas Day had gone on to avoid relegation.
Did you Know?
Campbell’s son Tyrese is also a footballer who plays for Sheffield United. Campbell became ill in early 2024 and was admitted to hospital a number of times. He was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) in May and died there on 15 June. An interim coroner’s report attributed Campbell’s death to infective endocarditis leading to multiple organ failure. The hospital is conducting an internal investigation over concerns about Campbell’s treatment at MRI. On Campbell’s death, Everton called him “not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well”.
