Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has died at the age of 54 following a devastating illness, his former clubs Arsenal and Everton announced on Saturday. “Everyone at Arsenal is devastated to learn that our former striker Kevin Campbell has passed away following an illness. Kevin was loved by everyone at the club. We are all thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time,” the Gunners announced.
At Everton, the Englishman is described as “a true hero of Goodison Park and an icon of English football, as well as an incredible person, as anyone who met him knows.”
First black captain in Everton’s history
Trained at Arsenal, Campbell made his professional debut there in 1988, wearing the Londoners’ jersey 228 times for 51 goals scored. With the Gunners he won five trophies including the Premier League (1991) and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
Campbell, who also played for Leicester, Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest, Trabzonspor, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff, also distinguished himself in the Everton jersey, scoring 51 goals in 164 matches, allowing the club to remain in the Premier League in 1999.
After his career, he said that one of his best memories was scoring the winning goal in the derby against Liverpool in 2000, Everton’s first victory at Anfield in 22 years: “My memory, forever engraved in my memory is that of the supporters going crazy.” Campbell, the first black captain in Everton’s history, still holds the record for most Premier League goals (83) by a player who has never been capped for the national team.