What is Sol Campbell doing now?
Widely regarded as one of the best central defenders of his generation, Sol Campbell made over 500 appearances in the English Premier League predominantly with North London sides Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
After being released by Newcastle United in 2011 he was a free agent for 12 months before officially retiring from playing in 2012.
In a 20-year career playing at the top-level he won a number of trophies including the Premier League title twice and the FA Cup twice with Arsenal, once with Portsmouth and the League Cup with Tottenham Hotspur.
On the international scene he was at the heart of England’s defence for 11 years winning 73 caps, scoring one goal and playing in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 European Championships as well as the 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.
In Campbell’s autobiography he claimed that the reason why he was never made permanent captain of the English national team was down to institutional racism on the part of the FA, claiming that if he was a white man he would have captained the side for more than 10 years instead of just three times.
This was a view disputed by England’s first black captain Paul Ince who said that during Campbell’s era there were a lot of club captains playing for England with big names and big egos such as Alan Shearer, David Seaman, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand who all had to make do with relatively short stints as captain.
Since hanging up his boots Campbell has pursued a coaching career and he completed his UEFA Pro Licence in May 2016 alongside, amongst others, former Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly.
In January 2017, he was appointed in his first coaching role as assistant manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national side admitting that it was a phone call from former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry that persuaded him to take the job. In preparation for his new role, he spent time coaching at the Queens Park Rangers academy on a short-term informal basis.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper in July 2017, Campbell said that he was finding it very hard to even get an interview for a managerial job and was prepared to go to a non-league club without even a salary in order to prove his credentials.
After a spell working alongside England under-21’s boss Aidy Boothroyd as part of an FA initiative to address the issue of under-representation of BAME coaches, Campbell was appointed in his first managerial role in November 2018 when he joined Macclesfield Town.
Completely turning around the club’s fortunes, he kept the Silkmen from relegation with seven wins and 10 draws in his 25 games in charge which was a tremendous achievement in his first season as a manager. However, he left the club by mutual consent in August 2019 stating this his experience had been a great learning curve.
Campbell wasn’t out of football for long and was appointed as manager of League One side Southend United just two months later but quit the role at the end of the 2019/20 season after relegation from League One.
After making it common knowledge that he wished to pursue a career in football management he made a u-turn on his decision in 2023 saying that he is no longer applying for jobs due to lack of opportunities.
Away from football he is married to award-winning luxury interior designer Fiona Barratt and is CEO of her hand-crafted furniture company.
Follow on Twitter @SolManOfficial
Back to Arsenal / Portsmouth / Tottenham Hotspur
#One2Eleven (4-4-2 Formation)
Sol Campbell was a guest on Sky Sports programme The Fantasy Football Club in 2015 where he picked the eleven best players he had ever played with in their #One2Eleven section of the show.
GK – David Seaman – top goalkeeper and a calming influence.
RB – Lauren – an unsung hero at Arsenal, loved to attack but got back as well.
LB – Ashley Cole – got up and down the pitch really well, defended well and was tough for a small lad.
CB – Rio Ferdinand – a very elegant player, fulfilled his potential under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
CB – Martin Keown – super competitive, quick and strong and never gave in.
CM – Patrick Vieira – a winner and a real pleasure to play along with.
CM – Paul Scholes – one of the best midfielders of the modern era.
RM – David Beckham – I used to train with him when I was 13 at Spurs, hard-working and had brilliant vision.
LM – Robert Pires – fantastic vision and passing. Always played with the side of his foot, never the laces.
Striker – Dennis Bergkamp – a gentleman that was strong and quick and also had a nasty streak about him.
Striker – Thierry Henry – chosen above Teddy Sheringham and Jurgen Klinsmann, really competitive and always kept on going.
Sol Campbell: Premier League Statistics
| Nationality | English |
| Position | Defender |
| Appearances | 503 |
| Goals | 20 |
| Yellow Cards | 31 |
| Red Cards | 4 |
| Premier League Teams Played for | Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Newcastle United |
Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com
Last Updated on 6 February 2024 by Admin