David Moyes pays emotional tribute to Kevin Campbell after ex-Everton star's tragic death
David Moyes paid tribute to former Everton favourite Kevin Campbell on live TV on Sunday after the striker's death at the age of just 54.
Campbell played under Moyes at Everton, making more than 100 Premier League appearances for the Toffees and hitting double figures under Moyes in the 2002-03 season. He also racked up a century of games for Arsenal, and played in Turkey with Trabzonspor.
Ian Wright, who played with Campbell at Arsenal, fought back tears when asked about his friend on Saturday during ITV's coverage. On Sunday, Moyes was part of the BBC's panel for Poland vs The Netherlands, and paid tribute himself.
Fellow panelists Ashley Williams and Danny Murphy also shared their memories of Campbell, who moved into broadcasting after hanging up his boots. There was also a moving tribute from Martin Keown, another of the striker's old Arsenal colleagues, who was on co-commentary duty.
"First of all I have to say it's tragic news, it really is," Moyes said when asked about Campbell by host Mark Chapman. ".Such a young man, a lot in his life still to do...
"When I first went to Everton, Kevin was already there. He was a huge character in the dressing room, a big player, an increibly experienced Premier League player at the time as well.
"Really helpful to me when I was starting off, and he was in a really good group at Everton at the time. He was a huge part of it, and it's a real tragedy."
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David Moyes speaking on the BBC's Euro 2024 coverage
"You've seen the tributes, and it's easy to say that but he was such a positive figure to be around, such a fun guy to be around and be in his company," former Wales defender Williams added. "And what a player he was, growing up, watching him play, he looked unbelievable."
Murphy, meanwhile, shared a tale which speaks volumes about Campbell the player and Campbell the man. "My first experience, I had a reserve game at Chester stadium against Everton... and he actually hurt me in a tackle. He put me out [for] six to eight weeks. He was the first one to come in after," he said.
"That was my first experience of Kevin, he came in and he was mortified that he'd damaged me - he didn't mean to, but he came in saying 'I'm really sorry' - what a great guy."
Martin Keown with Kevin Campbell
Keown broke into the Arsenal squad a few years before Campbell, and the pair were team-mates during the defender's second spell in North London. The 57-year-old shared his own thoughts about his former team-mate, whose son Tyrese played more than 150 times for Stoke City.
"Well of course you want to express your condolences to his family," he said. "To Tyrese, his son, who every time we met he was so proud of him - he was often buzzing about him as a young footballer at Stoke.
"Kevin was a very professional person, lit up every room that he walked into, and anyone who's worked with him - honestly it's dreadful news. The show will go on, Kevin would have wanted that, but we must pause and respect him as we are because he was a great man."
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