Kevin Campbell, a legendary life cut short

Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell has died aged 54, following what The Guardian describes as a “short illness”. Campbell was beloved by the fans of all the clubs he played for, especially Arsenal and Everton, where his legacy will live on.

Campbell was born in South London in 1970 and was soon snapped up by Arsenal’s academy in 1985.

Campbell was a dominant youth footballer, winning the FA Youth Cup in 1988 and scoring 59 goals in a single youth season, per Phil McNulty for BBC Sport.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

It was that same year that Campbell broke into the Arsenal senior team, despite facing competition from players such as Alan Smith, Paul Merson, and Ian Wright in his early seasons at Arsenal, Campbell made an impact.

The 1970s and 80s had proved to be a mostly fallow period for Arsenal, with just the 1989/90 First Division trophy and two FA Cups to show for their efforts. Campbell’s impact during the 1990-91 season, where he scored 10 goals in the run in, cannot be understated in helping place Arsenal back amongst the elite.

Despite their successes in domestic football, Arsenal have little silverware to speak of in Europe. 1994 saw Arsenal and Campbell change that, beating Parma 1-0 to win the European Cup Winner’s Cup for the first time. Campbell’s four goals in the tournament were key to Arsenal’s eventual success, per The Guardian.

Following the 1995 season, Campbell moved to Nottingham Forest. Despite successfully returning Forest to the Premier League in 1998 with 23 goals, Campbell was shipped off to Trabzonspor in 1998, per BBC Sport.

Campbell’s time at Trabzonspor was short, with the club chairman telling reporters, “We bought a cannibal who calls himself a striker,” following a loss. Campbell, rightfully, was insulted, telling reporters, “This is the biggest insult I've had in my life. Nothing, no apology, can heal the injury.”

Following Trabzonspor's comments, Campbell lasted just six months at the club before he moved to Everton, initially on loan, before completing a permanent transfer in 1999.

As Peter Mason writes for The Guardian, “At Goodison Park he became an instant hero, almost single-handedly saving the team from relegation at the end of the 1998-99 season with nine goals in his first eight starts.”

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Campbell commanded respect wherever he went, and this was made evident by Everton’s decision to hand him the club captaincy in 2001.

Campbell eventually moved on from Everton, completing a switch to West Bromwich Albion in 2005. There, he once again saved a club from relegation as Bryan Robson’s side narrowly avoided the drop.

Following his spell at West Brom and a short stint with Cardiff City, Campbell eventually retired in 2007, aged 37. He played 521 games during his senior career and scored 149 goals, per Transfermarkt.

Following his on-pitch career, Campbell moved into broadcasting, commentating for both TV and radio broadcasts. He also owned a private security company providing security to wealthy clients, per The Guardian. He is survived by his two sons, Tyrese and Kyle.

Campbell’s first club, Arsenal, released a touching tribute to memorialise their former player, writing, “Kevin was adored by everyone at the club. All of us are thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Kevin.”

Everton also posted a tribute on their club website. It reads, “Everyone at Everton is deeply saddened by the death of our former striker Kevin Campbell at the age of just 54. Not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well - as anyone who ever met him will know. RIP, Super Kev.”

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!