Noel Campbell

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King George VI of England, formal photo portrait, circa 1940-1946.jpg

Noel Campbell (born December 11, 1949 in Dublin) is a former Irish footballer. He began his career with St. Patrick's Athletic F.C. in the League of Ireland before moving to Fortuna Köln in Germany in 1973. When he played against Borussia Mönchengladbach on August 11, 1974, he became the first Irishman to play in the Bundesliga.

Campbell won 11 caps for Ireland, one in his St. Patrick's Athletic days and a further ten whilst under contract to Fortuna Köln (becoming, in 1972, the first Irishman to appear in the national colours whilst on the books of a club based in continental Europe.) He departed the international stage in somewhat ignominious circumstances, dismissed (rather arbitrarily, in the view of contemporary observers) within a minute of his introduction as a substitute in a 1977 World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia.

He managed Shamrock Rovers from March 1983 until May 1983.

He is the brother of former St. Patricks Athletic player Jimmy Campbell, and the uncle of Shamrock Rovers U21 manager Dave Campbell [1].