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FORMER England football international and Arsenal legend Sol Campbell has set his sights on exploring some of the tourist delights offered by Bulawayo while he is in Zimbabwe for the next few days.
The football superstar is in the country for an International Tennis Federation’s under-18 tournament, which his daughter is participating in. Campbell had an illustrious football career, which saw him hailed as one of the most accomplished defenders to ever play the sport.
During a glittering career, he was the first black man to score for England in a major tournament at the age of 23, and became the second youngest player to captain his country. He is one of only 13 players to have played over 500 Premier League games and the only player to have represented England men in six consecutive major tournaments, amassing 73 caps.
Campbell joins several heavyweight sports figures who have recently visited the country in various capacities. In March, legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was the talk of Victoria Falls after he made a surprise visit to the resort town.
In April, it was the turn of all-conquering German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger to take in the sights and sounds of the majestic Falls, as he brought the Uefa Champions League trophy to one of the world’s top destinations.
Other notable figures that have visited the falls include Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, Barcelona’s Rayco Garcia, and Hollywood stars such as Paris Hilton, Michael Douglas, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
While Victoria Falls is the country’s crown jewel, the ITF tournament has given Sol Campbell a chance to explore one of Zimbabwe’s hidden gems, Bulawayo.
In an interview on the sidelines of the tourney yesterday, Campbell said while he had not had a lot of time to explore Bulawayo since his arrival in the country, he had been making the rounds in the city’s coffee shops.
“I am going to be here for a little while. I haven’t seen much so far, but I have been to a few coffee shops and I have enjoyed it immensely. By the time I leave, I think I will have visited all the coffee shops in the city,” he said.
Campbell said that while he was usually tied up at the tennis tournament, he was eager to make time to explore some notable destinations in Bulawayo and its environs.
The city is home to numerous historical sites, including the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, the Railway Museum, and the Khami Ruins and Matobo National Park, both Unesco World Heritage Sites.
“There are some things that I would love to do and explore while I am here.
For example, there’s the rhino tracking and the rhino walk. Of course, the trouble is we are playing tennis every day, and we are training. I haven’t had time to get on a car or a truck for an hour or two. My daughter is playing tennis as well, so I also don’t want to tire her out. I will probably just stay local. I will do some gym work, play some tennis, and just enjoy the experience of being in Bulawayo and Zimbabwe,” he said.
Turning to the business at hand, Campbell said while he was known as a football man, he had also been a tennis fan and part-time player for most of his life.
“Tennis is not something new to me. Of course, I am a bit more involved with it nowadays because of my three children, who all play the sport, but I have been involved with tennis for a very long time. I’m not at the level of these guys who are playing here. They are far ahead of me, but I do love to play sometimes,” he said.
The former football star said he found himself playing tennis more than the sport that gave him fame. – Herald
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