Iván Campo facts for kids
Campo in 1996
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Iván Campo Ramos | ||
| Date of birth | 21 February 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | San Sebastián, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Logroñés | |||
| Alavés | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1995 | Alavés | 45 | (2) |
| 1995–1997 | Valencia | 25 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | → Valladolid (loan) | 31 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | Mallorca | 33 | (1) |
| 1998–2003 | Real Madrid | 60 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | ||
| 2003–2008 | Bolton Wanderers | 141 | (11) |
| 2008–2009 | Ipswich Town | 17 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | AEK Larnaca | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 384 | (21) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2000 | Spain | 4 | (0) |
| 2000–2006 | Basque Country | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Iván Campo Ramos, born on February 21, 1974, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He started his career playing as a centre-back, which is a defensive position. Later in his career, he also played as a defensive midfielder, helping protect his team's goal.
Iván Campo is well-known for playing with big clubs like Real Madrid in Spain. He also had a memorable time playing in England for Bolton Wanderers. He represented his home country, Spain, in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Iván Campo's Football Journey
Starting in Spain
Iván Campo began his football journey in San Sebastián, a city in the Basque Country, Spain. He started playing for Deportivo Alavés in a league called Segunda División B. He spent about two and a half years there.
After that, he joined Valencia CF. However, he was immediately loaned out to Real Valladolid for the rest of the 1995–96 season. He helped Real Valladolid stay in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league.
Later, Campo returned to Valencia but then moved to RCD Mallorca. This team had just been promoted to a higher league. At Mallorca, he played very well alongside another defender, Marcelino Elena. Together, they helped Mallorca finish fifth in the league during the 1997–98 season.
Playing for Real Madrid
In the summer of 1998, Iván Campo signed with one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid. He played an important part in Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League in the 1999–2000 season. He played the entire final match against his former club, Valencia.
During his time at Real Madrid's home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he sometimes found it hard to perform his best. The pressure from fans and the media could be very high.
Time with Bolton Wanderers
In August 2002, Iván Campo moved to England to play for Bolton Wanderers on a one-year loan. After the 2002–03 season, many expected him to go back to Spain. However, he surprised everyone by signing a permanent three-year deal with Bolton. He decided he really liked living in the town of Bolton.
On August 19, 2006, at the start of the new season, Campo scored an amazing goal. He shot from a long distance, and the ball flew into the net, catching the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper off guard. His manager, Sam Allardyce, even said it might be the "goal of the season."
Campo fit in well with Bolton's playing style. He was known for getting a lot of yellow and red cards in the Premier League during the 2006–07 season. In May 2008, his contract was not renewed, and he left the team.
Before the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, Campo wrote a letter to Bolton fans. He expressed how much he regretted not being able to say a proper goodbye. He later played in a special match at the Reebok Stadium to honor his teammate, Jussi Jääskeläinen.
Later Career Years
On August 11, 2008, Campo joined Ipswich Town, a team in the Football League Championship. He scored his first goal for them in a 3–0 win against Barnsley. However, he only played in about a third of the league matches that season. At 35 years old, he was released by the manager, Roy Keane, at the end of the season.
In December 2009, Campo moved to Cyprus to play for AEK Larnaca FC in the Cypriot Second Division. He retired from football in June 2010. Throughout his career, he played in 124 top-division games in Spain and 194 competitive matches for Bolton.
Playing for Spain
Iván Campo played four times for the Spanish national team. His first game was on March 25, 1998. It was a friendly match against Sweden in Vigo, which Spain won 4–0. He was chosen to be part of the Spanish squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. However, Spain did not make it past the group stage in that tournament.
Other Interesting Facts
Iván Campo appeared in a Spanish TV advertisement for a fruit drink. In the ad, two men take off their shirts to show tattoos of Campo's head on their chests.
There is also an Indie band from Preston, England, named Ivan Campo. They were even featured in an interview for a BBC News report when the footballer signed for Ipswich.
Achievements and Awards
Iván Campo achieved several honors during his football career:
Mallorca
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1997–98 (This means his team reached the final but didn't win the cup.)
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2000–01 (This is the top Spanish league title.)
- UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000, 2001–02 (This is Europe's biggest club competition.)
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998 (A competition between the best teams from Europe and South America.)
Bolton Wanderers
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04 (His team reached the final of this English cup competition.)
See also
In Spanish: Iván Campo para niños
