Sol Campbell's career was full of success, but it was also characterised by controversy which stemmed from his shock move from Tottenham to Arsenal.
That move came after coming through Spurs' academy and after nine years in the first team. While he enjoyed a League Cup success before moving, he enjoyed a trophy-laden prime at Arsenal with Arsene Wenger, winning five trophies and reaching the Champions League final - a game in which he scored - as well as being part of the iconic 'Invincibles' side.
Around the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was considered one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Tony Adams, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand at club and international level.
However, during the early stages of his career, Campbell reportedly caught the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who would later go toe-to-toe with Campbell and Arsenal over multiple seasons for major honours. According to Gary Neville, he was nearly able to convince the London-born defender to make the switch up North.
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Campbell would later go on to play alongside the players in question.
Campbell Revealed Neville tried to convince him to sign for United
Alan Sugar blocked it
Sol Campbell
During a recent appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Campbell revealed all about the potential transfer: "You [Neville] bloody called me!
"I remember, I was having an afternoon nap, and the phone call came through and Gary asked me if I fancied United. I must have been about 21 then... it did go further, but [Alan] Sugar blocked it."
At the time, Campbell was in the early stages of his career, still coming into his prime, and would have been a perfect replacement for the ageing Steve Bruce. The additions of David May and Ronny Johnsen and the consistency of Gary Pallister removed the need to bring Campbell in, but he attracted a lot of interest from elite clubs over the years of his career.
The controversial move to Arsenal in 2001 – one of the biggest betrayals in football history – saw him labelled 'Judas' by the Spurs fanbase, but his initial reason for leaving was to compete in the Champions League. Plus, his contract was coming to an end and, despite the plan to make him Tottenham's highest-paid player, he opted for Highbury.
Interestingly, there were no leaks or prior announcements before it happened and while multiple top clubs had approached him, the reveal of his move to Tottenham's bitter rivals was a complete shock and one that left a bad taste in the mouths of the fans.
When quizzed about which teams raised interest during his final months at Spurs, Campbell said:
"Bayern came in really earlier, but you don't know – is it a newspaper phoning you up? Back in those days, you didn't know.
"Liverpool came down, but the manager didn't come for the meeting. I went to Inter, had a chat with them. Barcelona came in at the end, but you just don't know, it's all propaganda. Arsenal obviously came in at the end."
His 503 Premier League appearances place him 12th on the all-time list, one behind the duo of Steven Gerrard and Ferdinand. In addition, his 153 clean sheets across his time at Tottenham, Arsenal, Portsmouth and Newcastle United place him fourth on the list of the most clean sheets by defenders, sitting comfortably behind Ferdinand (189), Jamie Carragher (195) and Terry (214).
In retirement, his legacy is firmly secured as one of the best defenders of his generation. He was known for his all-conquering style of play, his power and his ability to physically bully strikers and he led multiple teams to trophy successes, including captaining Portsmouth to the 2008 FA Cup final.