Kevin Campbell (footballer)

Arsenal

Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985. He was prolific for Arsenal's Academy as he scored 59 goals in a season. Campbell also won with Arsenal the FA Youth Cup of 1988. He went on to make his first-team debut against Everton on 7 May 1988. As so at Highbury the role of a forward was then wholly occupied by players such as Paul Merson and Alan Smith.

Campbell came to prominence during a loan spell at Leyton Orient in 1989, when he scored 9 goals in 16 games. Orient manager Frank Clark wanted to make the move permanent but Arsenal refused to sell. After a poor start to the 1989-90 season he was again loaned out, this time to Leicester City. However, in the following season he established himself in the Arsenal team, scoring eight times in ten matches during the run-in to the club's First Division title win.

Despite Arsenal signing Ian Wright in September 1991, Campbell continued to feature for Arsenal, although he was often in the shadow of his more prolific partner. As is so, he scored several crucial goals for Arsenal such as last-minute equalisers against Millwall and Derby County in Arsenal's victorious 1992-93 FA Cup and League Cup campaigns. During the season thereafter, he scored 19 goals throughout, his best for the Gunners of whom went on to win 1994's Cup Winners' Cup. With this being so, his form for the club waned in 1994-95. As well the arrivals of forwards John Hartson and Dennis Bergkamp saw his playing time reduced altogether. In all Campbell played 224 times for Arsenal, scoring 59 goals.

Nottingham Forest

In the summer of 1995 Campbell was sold to Nottingham Forest for an initial fee of £2.5m, where he spent three seasons. He was part of the team that was relegated in 1997, but his 23 goals the following season helped see the Trees win the Football League Championship of 1998.

Trabzonspor

However, Campbell controversially left Forest at the end of that season to join Turkish side Trabzonspor for £2.5m, a move which caused Forest teammate Pierre van Hooijdonk to famously go "on strike". His time in Trabzon saw him leave the club in seven months after a racist incident which involved club president, Mehmet Ali Yılmaz calling him a "cannibal". He was very popular during his time at the club with the fans. To show solidarity with Campbell, the two club captains, Ogün Temizkanoğlu and Abdullah Ercan, were at his side during a press conference in which he stated his reasons for leaving the club.

Everton

Everton, who were battling against relegation from the Premier League, signed Campbell on loan in March 1999. His impact on the side was immediate, as he scored 9 goals in his first 8 games. These feats made him Everton's top goalscorer both at and away from Goodison Park for that season. Campbell thus almost singlehandedly saved the club from being dropped from the Premier League. His 6 goals of which were scored in his first 3 games earned him Everton's player of the month award for April, making him the first loanee to be bestowed with such.

Campbell's move to Everton was made permanent in the summer of 1999 for a fee of £3million. In the 1999-2000 season, he scored Everton's winning goal in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Anfield. He also in that season went on to topscore for the club with 12 goals netted altogether.

He was for the season following Everton's leading goalscorer, but only netted 4 times during the 2001-02 league campaign. Campbell was once again the toffees's topscorer during the subsequent season. He thereafter battled several injuries of which limited his appearances for the club in all.

West Bromwich Albion

Campbell thus moved in January 2005 on a free transfer to West Bromwich Albion. At the time West Brom were placed last within the Premiership. He was appointed as the club's captain shortly after his joining of such. Campbell went on to successfully lead the Baggies to survival within the Premiership. This endeavour became the first time that a club of which had been at the bottom end of the league on Christmas Day had gone on to evade relegation.

Cardiff City

However, in May 2006, after West Brom were eventually relegated to the Championship, Campbell was released by the club. He signed for Cardiff City on a free transfer on 2 August 2006. He scored in an FAW Premier Cup quarter-final match away at Carmarthen Town for Cardiff, on 13 February 2007. He also appeared, in February 2007 for City against former club West Brom. He was then released by the club in May 2007 thus bringing to an end his footballing days.

International career

Campbell earned 4 caps for the England U-21s and 1 for England B. He also holds the dubious distinction of being the English player who has scored the most goals in the Premier League without earning a senior cap for England.

Media career

Campbell was featured on the Sky Sports series "Where are They Now?" in 2008, when he was the co-owner of a security company "T1 Protection", specialising in supplying bodyguards to celebrities and other wealthy customers whilst traveling abroad. He also worked with Asia-based TEN Sports as a commentator for their Premier League and Champions League coverage.

Personal life

He ran his own record label, '2 Wikid', with the label's first signing being rapper Mark Morrison, who released the hit tune Return of the Mack in 1994. But in December 2004, with the artist still signed to 2 Wikid, Campbell was forced to obtain a court injunction against rival label Jet Star, in order to prevent it from releasing Morrison's album Innocent Man. The injunction was lifted shortly afterwards, so for the album to be eventually released sometime later. The first single released by 2 Wikid was that of Panjabi MC's tune, Backstabbers, a remix of Morrison's original song of which was released in 2004. Kevin's son, Tyrese Campbell, is also a footballer and plays for Stoke City.

Club

Individual