PLAYER PROFILE

Sol Campbell

Position: Defence

Height: 6'2

Weight: 14st 4lbs

Date of Birth: 1974-09-18 Newham, England

Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell managed to stun the football world when he emerged during a press conference arranged at Arsenal's training ground to unveil a new player. The waiting media were expecting goalkeeper Richard Wright, what they got was the most sought after defender in Europe.

With Barcelona, Inter and Bayern Munich all waiting hungrily on his decision, Campbell - then a free agent - snubbed them all and opted to stay in the Premiership with Tottenham's biggest and fiercest rivals, Arsenal. It represented a huge signing for boss Arsene Wenger, who had delivered on his promise to deliver big names in the summer of 2001.

What made the transfer so amazing was the fact that Campbell was - and probably still is - a Spurs man through and through. He described the decision to leave White Hart Lane as one of the hardest in his life and although Arsenal were said to be in the race, few expected the England defender to actually join them.

Campbell joined Spurs after attending the FA School of Excellence becoming at first an associated schoolboy and then a trainee after leaving school. He was given a three-year contract at the start of the 1992-93 season and scored on his debut when he replaced Nicky Barmby in a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in December 1992, though he did not play another game that season.

Campbell's confidence and ability gradually rose through his increasing involvement in the first team to the point where the young defender was being hailed as the future of English defending and, indeed, he made his international debut against Hungary in May 1996.

Since then Campbell has established himself as an irreplaceable rock at the heart of the England defence and was many people's choice of captain when Tony Adams announced his international retirement.

It was this international exposure - and in particular his impressive displays during France '98 - that convinced Campbell his future lay away from White Hart Lane and he needed a bigger club to further his ambitions of winning trophies. Campbell famously refused to sign a new contract with Spurs and sparked the longest running saga in transfer history.

It was thought he would opt for a move to the continent - and the riches it promises - but the lure of the Premiership and home comforts proved too strong, so Campbell decided on the short move across North London where, despite receiving far less money than he could have been earning, Campbell felt sure he had just as much chance of winning silverware.

His decision was vindicated in his first season, as he helped Arsenal to the domestic Double of league championship and FA Cup. He was an automatic choice for England's World Cup Squad, and scored his first international goal in the tournament against Sweden.

He continued his inspired form for the Gunners in 2002/03 and many saw his suspension in the final few games of the season as the major reason for Arsenal letting the title go. He also suffered the heartbreak of missing the FA Cup Final..

The 2003/04 season saw him again the centre of some controversy after he escaped a red card for kicking out at Eric Djemba-Djemba in the Community Shield and then was sent off in the first league game of the season. Coupled with the death of his father, it was a dark time for Campbell, who later admitted that he considered walking away from the game.

However, he stuck with it and reaped the rewards with another championship in May and a series of rock-solid performances for England at Euro 2004 which helped cement his position as one of the world's best centre-halves.

2004/05, however, proved a season bookended by injury for Campbell. The start of the season was lost to an Achilles injury sustained during England's Euro 2004 campaign, while a twisted ankle during a February encounter with Manchester United kept him out until the final two game of the season.

The 2005/06 campaign proved to be his final in Arsenal colours. A mixture of personal and injury problems meant his appearances were reduced dramatically and his final significant action for the team was scoring in the Champions' League final - a game the Gunners went on to lose.

After spending much of the summer pondering where his future laid, he decided to join Portsmouth in August 2006 and it proved to be a good choice as he settled into the Pompey backline comfortably, making over 30 appearances along the way.

He continued this fine form in 2007/08 and captained the club to an FA Cup final victory over Cardiff in May.