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Chris Kamara is a former footballer and manager turned pundit
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Kamara has been a fixture alongside Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday
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Read below to learn more about Chris Kamara net worth
Enjoying a playing career long before football betting online was an option, Chris Kamara has been in the public eye for almost half a century.
Once an industrious midfielder, Kamara made the step into management for a brief spell in the 1980s and has gone on to become a beloved commentator and pundit.
Anyone who follows their Premier League predictions on Soccer Saturday will be familiar with Kamara (or ‘Kammy’ as he’s often known).
He’s been a fixture on the show, though rarely in the studio, as he’s usually at a ground providing trademark erratic updates.
Net Worth
Most estimations come in at around £12 million for Chris Kamara net worth.
Exact details of his salary with Sky Sports are unknown, and his earnings during his playing days were a long way from what we’re accustomed to in the 2020s.
Kamara has been involved in some endorsement campaigns over the decades, too. He’s a well-liked media personality who ultimately doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is a combination that will appeal to many businesses.
Not everyone will name Kamara among the best football commentators, yet in such a lengthy career, he’s bound to have collected some substantial income from Sky.
The former Portsmouth midfielder has spent a long time in the spotlight and has played a crucial role in Sky’s football coverage for over two decades.
Of course, Kamara’s media career has spread far beyond the sporting sphere, too. His net worth will have been bolstered by appearances elsewhere from Ted Lasso cameos to presenting Ninja Warrior UK and featuring on Celebrity Juice.
Red Card
In April 2010, Chris Kamara made a famous Soccer Saturday blunder when he missed Anthony Vanden Borre's red card in Portsmouth versus Blackburn.
It’s a moment which is remembered every year on 3rd April, and that Kammy is unlikely to ever live down.
Jeff Stelling switched to Kamara looking for an update. Much confusion followed, including the now famous ‘I don’t know Jeff!’ from Kammy.
A bemused Kamara followed up with, “I must’ve missed that. Been a red card?”
His colleagues in the studio broke out in rapturous laughter, as Stelling asked Kamara if he’d been watching.
The confusion continued. Stelling explained the situation to Kamara, suggesting he counted the Portsmouth players on his hands.
Kamara hilariously replied, “No, you’re right. I saw him go off, but I thought they were bringing a sub on!”
For some, this would have been a career-ender. Kamara, though, became a viral sensation. The video clip has been viewed millions of times on YouTube, and Kamara describes it as a ‘defining moment’.
Speaking about the incident a decade later, Kamara said, "In my career, in terms of my TV career and Soccer Saturday, that is the defining moment because it could have so easily went the other way.
"But it went the right way and thankfully it did because it's been watched over 10 million times on YouTube and to this day, people still never get tired of seeing it.”
Quotes
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“For Burnley to win they are going to have to score."
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“Statistics are there to be broken."
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“Tense and nervous are not the words, though they are the words."
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“Barnsley have started off the way they mean to begin."
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“Alex McLeish has just had his hands in his head."
Playing Career
Chris Kamara was spotted playing for the Navy by then Portsmouth manager Ian St John in the mid-1970s. Kamara quickly broke through into Pompey’s first team, sticking with the side through relegation from the second division.
He left the club for Swindon, which proved controversial in 1977. Playing over 140 times for the Robins, Kamara was a key player as the club reached the last four of the League Cup and flirted with promotion.
A change of manager saw him move back to Portsmouth in 1981, but he didn’t last long in his second stint, signing for Brentford later that year.
He enjoyed a strong couple of seasons with the Bees, playing at Wembley in the 1985 Football League Trophy final and scoring a career-high 11 goals a few seasons earlier.
Disagreement over a new contract saw him leave the club in 1985, and he re-joined Swindon Town.
An injury limited his playing time in his first season with the club, but Kamara was integral as Swindon recorded the second of back-to-back promotions.
Once again turning down a one-year contract in 1988, though, Kamara left for Stoke City, where he impressed alongside Peter Beagrie in midfield and won the club’s Player of the Year award.
When Alan Ball took over as manager, Kamara was sold to Leeds, where he was predominantly a backup player in a talented squad as they earned promotion to the topflight.
Despite leaving Leeds in 1991, Kamara remained in the First Division/Premier League thanks to short spells with Luton, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough. He then took on a player-coach role with Blackburn in 1994.
The majority of Kamara’s career was spent a long way from Premier League odds. His media career has only elevated his profile with football fans around the country, though he remains popular with several fan bases for his no-nonsense play.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st March 2022
