Sol Campbell insists he is worthy of a knighthood for his services to football. (Image: Getty)
Ex-England star Sol Campbell believes he ‘deserves a knighthood’ and is among the ‘country’s greatest-ever sportsman’.
Having made the switch from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal, Campbell has a history of stirring things up, with the 73-cap England international’s latest controversial claim being he should be given a knighthood.
In an interview with GB News, the former defender claimed: “I think for me when it comes to honours and lists, if it comes to a popularity contest there's a lot of people who are unpopular who have Sirs, OBEs and MBEs.
“If you look at what I've done and what I've gone through playing football and the consistency over the course of two decades, under severe pressure in a football sense, I'm up with some of the sporting greats of our country.
“I'm a proud Englishman and I've done a lot for football, on and off the field, and for racism.”
He continued: “Also I'm not even talking about the records I've acquired playing football for my country and domestically, for Tottenham and Arsenal - for me, I'm up with the rest for all of them.
“I don't know why I'm overlooked on these kind of occasions. I'm not the only sporting great that has been overlooked but for me I'm seeing all these other people get these gongs and these accolades and it's special - for me it would be an honour to have a Sir, OBE or MBE for the sport I've committed to over two decades.”
Sol Campbell made 73 caps for England. (Image: Getty)
Sol Campbell won seven major honours during his time as a player. (Image: Getty)
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Alongside his distinguished international career, Campbell also enjoyed a trophy-laden career in the domestic game.
A winner of the League Cup with Tottenham in 1999, Campbell continued to pick up winners medals with Arsenal, lifting five major honours during a half-decade-long stint with the Gunners.
Another FA Cup triumph - the third of his career - followed with Portsmouth in 2008, taking his total career honours to an impressive seven.
The last footballer to receive a knighthood for services to football was Kenny Dalglish in 2018, with only a handful of ex-players having been given the honour.
Should Campbell’s wish come true, he’d be joining the likes of Alf Ramsey, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and legendary Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson as footballing figures - both players and managers - to be named Sir.
Campbell’s last foray into the game ended when he left Southend United following the club’s relegation from League One in 2020.
