Chris Kamara Bio, Age, Wife, Net Worth, Illness, Books, Sky Sports

Chris Kamara Biography

Chris Kamara MBE is an English former professional footballer and manager who served as a Sky Sports broadcaster and football analyst from 1992 to 2022.

Advertisements

How old is Chris Kamara? – Age

He is 66 years old as of 25 December 2022. He was born in 1957 in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom.

Chris Kamara Family – Education

On Christmas Day 1957, Kamara was born in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire, to his Sierra Leonean father, Alimamy Kindo “Albert” Kamara. He was eligible to play for Sierra Leone because of his father, and he was called up to the 1994 African Cup of Nations, but he declined. His father was a frequent gambler, forcing his mother Irene to occasionally beg neighbours for money in order to feed Kamara, his brother George, and sister Maria. As one of the few black families in Park End, the family was subjected to racist abuse. His father, a former naval mariner, insisted that he join the Royal Navy when he was 16 years old. In doing so, he missed Middlesbrough Boys’ youth cup final, although he went on to play for the Royal Navy football club. He was trained at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint before transferring to HMS Vernon.

Chris Kamara Wife

Kamara married Anne on May 29, 1982; they have two sons.

Chris Kamara Net Worth

He has an estimated net worth of $20 million.

Chris Kamara Illness

Kamara was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in April 2021 after complaining of “brain fog” during an interview on The One Show. In a September 2022 podcast interview, he discussed his struggles with speech before being diagnosed with speech apraxia in March 2022. In December 2022, he admitted to “suffering in silence” for 20 months before his underactive thyroid was detected. He announced in April 2021 that he would stop presenting, yet he continued to work as a presenter. In 2022, he was the subject of the ITV documentary “Lost For Words”.

Chris Kamara Photo
Chris Kamara Photo

Who did Chris Kamara Play for?

In November 1995, Bradford City chairman Geoffrey Richmond fired Lennie Lawrence and elevated him to take his position. The goal was to keep the team out of the relegation zone before the end of the 1995–96 season. However, the team went on a run of only three defeats in the final thirteen games, securing a spot in the play-offs. The promotion was sealed with a 2-0 win over Notts County in the play-off final.

Kara bought Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer from 1. FC Kaiserslautern for £150,000, replacing Gavin Ward, who was traded to Bolton Wanderers for £300,000. He spent a club record £550,000 for Gordon Watson, who played only two games before being severely hurt by a collision from Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Grey. In summer 1997, he signed Darren Moore and Robbie Blake, paying £50,000 for Jamie Lawrence and another £50,000 for Peter Beagrie. He also recruited Brazilian striker Edinho and former England international Chris Waddle on a free transfer.

Kamara was appointed manager of Stoke City on January 22, 1998, with the goal of developing a group capable of propelling the club into the Premier League. However, Stoke were already in serious relegation peril in 1997-98, and Kamara was fired on April 8, 1998.

Chris Kamara Books

Mr Unbelievable, Kamara’s autobiography, was published in April 2010. It focuses on his football career and how it led to his position as a commentator. On November 9, 2023, Kamara’s second autobiography, Kammy, was published. In the book, Kamara describes his difficult upbringing, time as a football player, and time as a football manager.