David Moyes has paid an emotional tribute to former Everton striker Kevin Campbell following his death at the age of 54.
Tributes have been pouring in for the former centre forward after it was announced on Saturday that he had tragically passed away. Both his former clubs, Everton and Arsenal, paid tribute to the Englishman, with several of his former team-mates also issuing heartfelt statements.
Campbell played under Moyes during his time at Everton, with the striker initially joining on loan in 1999. He would make the move permanent shortly afterwards, with Moyes arriving at Goodison Park in 2002.
He’d go on to establish himself as a fan favourite among Everton fans, scoring 50 goals across 160 appearances for the Merseyside club, notably also helping the club avoid relegation in 1999, scoring nine goals in the Toffees’ final eight league matches.
Speaking during BBC’s live coverage of the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory against Poland on Sunday, Moyes hailed Campbell for his personality in the dressing room before stating he had helped him settle in during his early years at the club.
First of all, I have to say it’s tragic news, it really is,’ Moyes said to the BBC. ‘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 incredibly experienced Premier League player at the time as well.
‘[He was] 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.’
In Moyes’ first full season in charge at Everton, Campbell would return 10 goals in 36 Premier League appearances for the Toffees.
Ashley Williams and Danny Murphy, also on BBC’s punditry panel for the match, shared their memories of Campbell too.
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 Everton defender Williams said.
And what a player he was, growing up, watching him play, he looked unbelievable.’
Murphy also shared a story from when he first met Campbell. He said: ‘My first experience, I had a reserve game at Chester stadium against Everton… and he actually hurt me in a tackle.
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