Sol Campbell is a professional football player of Jamaican origin, born on September 18, 1974 in Plaistow, London. A child prodigy, he was part educated at the Football Association's (FA) School of Excellence at Lilleshall.
In 1994, Sol Campbell got a call for the England U-21 side and has made a total of total of 11 appearances, scoring 2 goals to his credit. In the same year he was also selected for the England B side and has made two appearances for it. A couple of years later, he was selected for the senior national squad. On May 18, 1996, he made his debut for it in a match against Hungary as a substitute. On 29 May 1998, at 23 years and 248 days, he became England's second youngest captain after Bobby Moore. During the 2002 World Cup, Sol Campbell scored his first goal for the national side in the opening group game against Sweden. A couple of years later, he was named in the squad for the Euro 2004 championship and in the following year, he won his 66th cap for England to make it to the list of top 20 most capped England players. As of 2007, Sol Campbell has won a total of 73 caps for his national side and has scored once.
Sol Campbell began his professional football career in 1989 with Tottenham Hotspur’s youth side and was member of the side for three years. In 1992, he was promoted to the senior side of the club and made an impressive start by scoring in his debut game. In the 1998-99 season he successfully led his side to a League Cup final win over Leicester City. During his tenure at this club till 2001, he played 255 games, scoring 11 goals to his credit.
In 2001, Sol Campbell moved to Arsenal and had a spectacular first season by winning both the Premiership and Football Association (FA) Cup winners' medals. During the 2003-04 season, he played a pivotal role in the defense and helped his side defend the Premiership title without losing a game. In the 2004-05 season he was in the squad that won the FA Cup winners' medal. On April 25, 2006, he played in the Champions League semi-final against Villarreal and helped his team enter the finals. Sol Campbell scored the first goal for his side in the Champions League final against Barcelona at the Stade de France in Paris, where his side finished as the runners-up. During his tenure at this club, he made over 150 appearances for this club.
On August 8, 2006, he moved to Portsmouth on a two-year contract and had an impressive first season at this club, teaming up with Linvoy Primus in the central defense and helped his side keep five clean sheets on the trot. On December 23, 2006, he scored his first goal for this club in a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United., Sol Campbell was named the captain of the side for the 2007-08 season and he extended his tenure by signing a new two-year contract with this club. Sol Campbell led his side to 1-0 victory over Cardiff City at the Wembley Stadium in the 2008 FA Cup Final. As of 2008, he has made a total of 63 appearances and has scored 2 goals for this side.
In 2008, Sol Campbell was voted 15th in the "Gunners' Greatest 50 Players" poll. To his teammates, Sol Campbell is known by his nicknames “The Sol Man”, “The Rock” and “Big Black Sol”.
