Sol Campbell winds up Tottenham fans again in hilarious new advert – as he evokes his infamous Arsenal transfer by insisting ‘big moves pay off’
Sol Campbell has made fun of his infamous move from rivals Tottenham and Arsenal in a recent TV advert.
Campbell made the switch between the north London clubs under the Bosman ruling in 2001 after his contract with Tottenham expired in what was one of the most shocking changes in football.
The centre-back had publicly claimed he would stay at Tottenham before making the move to North London, leading to him being branded a ‘Judas’ by fans of his former club.
Spurs fans have never really forgotten the way Campbell left Spurs and now the defender has done his best to remind them of his unceremonious departure.
In an advertisement for Google’s Pixel phonesCampbell said: “It’s that time of year again. A time when people start to wonder if the grass might be greener.
‘Whether they should switch sides and switch allegiances. Take it from me: big steps pay off.
Sol Campbell has made fun of his infamous moves from rivals Tottenham and Arsenal
Campbell made the switch between the North London clubs in 2001 under the Bosman ruling
The centre-back had claimed he would stay at Tottenham before making the shock move
‘Of course people will have an opinion, but who cares what people think? Of course you can stay with them for another year, but will anything really change?
‘I don’t think so. So if you’re considering switching in January, I say: go for it! It’s not like you’re doing anything outrageous.
“You’re just switching to something much, much better… the Google Pixel!”
In 2001, the defender had publicly claimed he would stay at Tottenham before making the move to North London, leading to him being branded a ‘Judas’ by fans of his former club.
Campbell’s free transfer is considered one of the most controversial in football, with the then 26-year-old defender attracting interest from across Europe and making the move to Highbury.
Arsenal had kept the deal secret, with reporters present at its unveiling expecting goalkeeper Richard Wright to see Everton’s announcement before Campbell emerged for the press conference.
Campbell said he was subjected to an ‘inferno of hatred’ when he first returned to White Hart Lane as an Arsenal player in 2001.
In an ad for Google’s Pixel phones, Campbell urged fans to ‘switch allegiances’
Campbell said he was subjected to an ‘inferno of hate’ upon his return to White Hart Lane
Campbell later admitted that the continued abuse, long after his retirement as a player in 2011, had affected him.
‘We are talking about almost a quarter of a century [since the transfer]he said in an earlier interview. ‘Where do we go as humans when someone cannot continue?
“I don’t think people realize how hurtful the hate and vitriol is to me. I understand the situation, but it’s been so long.’
Campbell has previously apologized to Tottenham fans for the nature of the move, but admitted he had no regrets about the move after a successful first spell at Arsenal.
