‘Up with some of the sporting greats of our country' - Former Portsmouth, Arsenal and Newcastle defender insists he deserves knightood

And the now 49-year-old remains perplexed why he is constantly overlooked for the honour and not called ‘Sir’.

Campbell - who led Pompey to FA Cup glory in 2008 - voiced his frustration while appearing on GB News.

The 73-times-capped former England defender claimed he was ‘up with some of the sporting greats of our country’.

He said: 'I think, for me, when it comes to honours and lists, if it comes to a popularity contest there's a lot of people who are unpopular who have Sirs, OBEs and MBEs.

'If you look at what I've done and what I've gone through playing football and the consistency over the course of two decades, under severe pressure in a football sense, I'm up with some of the sporting greats of our country.

'I'm a proud Englishman and I've done a lot for football, on and off the field, and for racism.

'Also, I'm not even talking about the records I've acquired playing football for my country and domestically, for Tottenham and Arsenal - for me, I'm up with the rest for all of them.'

Watch the latest episode of Pompey Talk here.

Campbell won a League Cup with Spurs in 1999 and twice secured the Premier League title with Arsenal, along with two FA Cup during his time with the Gunners.

As well as captaining Pompey to victory over Cardiff at Wembley in 2008, that season he also skippered Harry Redknapp’s side to their highest-ever Premier League finish - 8th.

Since retiring from playing in 2011 after a spell with Newcastle, Campbell has had two stints in management at both Macclesfield and Southend. Meanwhile, twice he’s been overlooked for managerial positions at Fratton Park, with the former PO4 hero not even getting interviewed following the dismissals of Kenny Jacett and Danny Cowley.

That represents another frustration for Campbell, who continued his knighthood disappointment by saying: 'I don't know why I'm overlooked on these kind of occasions. 

'I'm not the only sporting great that has been overlooked but for me I'm seeing all these other people get these gongs and these accolades and it's special - for me it would be an honour to have a Sir, OBE or MBE for the sport I've committed to over two decades.'