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Costa Rica gears up for their third consecutive World Cup as they prepare to head to Qatar in November.
The Central American nation dreams of repeating their success from eight years ago when they defied pre-tournament odds by making it to the quarter-finals, but they will have to put in their work to do so after being placed in the same group as Europeans. giants Spain and Germany, as well as potential dark horses Japan.
If they want to make an impact at this year’s tournament, a lot could rest on striker Joel Campbell’s shoulders.
Joel Campbell prepares to represent Costa Rica at their third consecutive World Cup
The 30-year-old has amassed 117 caps for his country and remains a key player for his third consecutive appearance at the World Cup.
Arsenal fans will know Campbell, who previously spent seven years with the Emirates, but how did he first get on their radar? And what has he been up to since he left the Gunners?
Sports post looks back on Campbell’s extraordinary journey as the veteran winger aims to shine in another global tournament.
Premier League move
Campbell came through the ranks at Deportivo Saprissa in his home country, making his senior debut for the club in September 2010 at the age of 18. He would make just four appearances for the team before joining fellow Costa Rican side Puntarenas the following January.
Once again, Campbell was a fringe figure at the club, playing just five games, but he started to catch the eye at international level.
He was selected for the 2011 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, scoring six goals in five games as Costa Rica reached the final.
His performances in that competition earned him a call-up to play for the seniors in the 2011 Gold Cup and he marked his debut with a goal against Cuba.
Arsene Wenger was excited about Campbell’s future when Arsenal signed him in 2011
Wenger described the attacker at the time as ‘a player of great talent’
Campbell continued his busy summer playing in the Under-20 World Cup, and after scoring twice in the group stage against Australia, Arsenal scout Danny Karbassiyoon had seen enough.
The Gunners made their move, signing the promising youngster just days after Costa Rica were knocked out of the tournament, and Arsene Wenger was excited about his prospects.
“Joel Campbell has already shown that he is a player of great ability and has also performed well on the international stage at a young age,” said the then Arsenal boss.
“We look forward to completing the transfer formalities and working with Joel when he joins Arsenal.”
Work permit problem arises
Wenger expected the deal to be a formality but things quickly became complicated as Campbell was denied a work permit to play in England, leading the Premier League club to loan him to Ligue 1 outfit Lorient.
In his only season with French club Campbell, he scored just three league goals, and after still not getting a work permit at the end of the season, Arsenal had no choice but to loan him out again – this time to Spain’s Real Betis. .
Campbell struggled to cement his place in the squad during his early days in LaLiga, but became a fixture in the second half of the season as Betis finished seventh in the standings.
Due to problems with Campbell’s work permit, he was initially sent on several loans by Arsenal
At the end of the 2012-13 season, Campbell was finally granted a work permit, but Arsenal decided to loan him out for a third consecutive campaign to Olympiacos.
This was an important season for the winger on his way to the 2014 World Cup as he did well in Greece, scoring 11 goals in all competitions – including against Manchester United in the Champions League.
Shine at the World Cup and return to Arsenal
Fresh after impressing Olympiacos, Campbell started the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with momentum at his side, and he made an immediate impression.
After trailing in the opening game against Uruguay, Campbell leveled Costa Rica in the second half, then scored his team’s third goal to seal a shocking 3-1 win.
Costa Rica still had Italy and England to play and they weren’t expected to break out of their group, but in the end they got past the former 1-0 and held the Three Lions to a goalless draw for their knockout place stages to book.
He scored Costa Rica’s first goal at the World Cup as his side reached the quarter-finals
They faced Greece in the last 16, and when the match ended 1-1, additional time penalties were needed to separate the two sides. Campbell converted his penalty in the shootout as Costa Rica came out on top to reach the quarter-finals.
The Arsenal forward started his last eight clashes with the Netherlands but was eliminated shortly after the hour when Costa Rica were eliminated on penalties. However, he had certainly been noticed during his national team’s historic run, which meant it was time for Arsenal to finally bring him back to the Emirates.
Failing to shine in the Emirates
His World Cup appearances had shown Arsenal fans what he was capable of, and it looked like Campbell would have the chance to thrive in north London in the 2014-15 season.
Unfortunately for Campbell, that didn’t happen as he failed to start a single league game in the first half of the season and was loaned out to Villarreal again in January.
Despite scoring just one goal in his time at Villarreal, Campbell was brought back into the fold at Arsenal for the 2015-16 season, with Wenger giving him one last chance to prove he could make it into his squad.
He eventually landed a regular spot in the starting squad during the opening weeks of the season, and Wenger praised Campbell in November 2015.
“This season I didn’t want to loan him out because he has a real team attitude and he’s a fighter,” he explained.
Campbell still struggled to get chances at Arsenal even after he shone on the World Cup
He eventually got more playing time, but didn’t do enough to cement his place on the side
“Lately he has shown that if he is confident, he can deliver attacking quality and also be reliable with his team attitude.
“I smelled something about him that’s very interesting. He is creative. I could see that, but creativity is related to confidence.’
However, just weeks after these comments, Campbell was back off the team and his chances dried up as the season progressed.
A belated cameo appearance on the last day of the season in May 2016 would prove to be his 40th and final appearance in an Arsenal shirt.
He was loaned to Sporting Lisbon for the next campaign before spending a year back at Betis, and in the summer of 2018 Arsenal decided it was finally time to let Campbell go for good.
Post-Arsenal Days
In August 2018, newly promoted Serie A club called Frosinone and Campbell went to Italy for the first time in his career, ending his seven-year spell with Arsenal.
His time there would prove to be short-lived as he only played 17 times before moving to Mexico’s Leon on loan in January 2019. 18 months later they made the deal permanent and he has remained in Mexico ever since, playing for Leon and on a season-long loan spell with Monterrey.
Campbell made 100 appearances for Leon but only found the net eight times, while scoring four goals in 34 games during his time at Monterrey.
Despite this, he remains one of the first names on the team roster at international level heading into next month’s World Cup.
Campbell has played 100 games for Leon, but has only scored eight goals
Can he shine again at the World Cup?
Campbell played for 11 clubs throughout his career, but only scored more than 10 goals for one of them – Olympiacos.
The precocious talent who came to Arsenal as a teenager is struggling to live up to expectations, but he seems to be a different player in a Costa Rica shirt.
His record of 25 goals in 117 caps is respectable and he scored some important goals to secure his place in Qatar.
He scored the goal that sent Costa Rica to the World Cup when they got the better of New Zealand
Campbell scored winning goals against Jamaica and El Salvador in qualifying to land his team in the World Cup playoffs. He then scored the decisive goal in the play-off against New Zealand in June to send his country to Qatar.
Costa Rica isn’t expected to come from a group that includes Spain and Germany, but they defied the odds in 2014 to get within a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Campbell was a leading figure on that team, and if he can rediscover the same form, Costa Rica may be able to provide a surprise in their tricky group.