22 November 2023 , 14:09
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Chris Kamara is one of the nation's most beloved and recognisable sporting broadcasters - but a throwback snap has left fans on social media dumbfounded.
The former Sky Sports icon, 65, spent years on the channel's flagship 'Soccer Saturday' show keeping viewers abreast of all the latest happenings from football matches up and down the country, forming a hilarious double-act with host Jeff Stelling. Prior to that, he enjoyed a stellar career as a footballer, manager and pundit.
Kamara has stepped away from television in 2022 after revealing he had been diagnosed with speech apraxia: a rare neurological disorder which affects speech, balance, dexterity and strength. He has since been commended for giving the condition exposure in recent weeks via his new book, KAMMY: My Unbelievable Life.
Ahead of a book signing trip to Portsmouth, Kamara shared a picture of himself in Pompey colours right at the start of his professional playing career - and the snap left fans on social media absolutely astounded.
After quipping he "looked 16 going on 36", other social media users were quick to join in with the laughs. One user posted: "16? You're having a laugh," with laughing emojis, while another joked: "You look younger now".
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Kamara was signed up by Portsmouth as a teenager after he was spotted playing for the Royal Navy and went on to make 63 appearances for Pompey before he was snapped up by Swindon Town. He would return for another brief stint at Fratton Park in 1981 before continuing his career with a whole host of other clubs.
His final playing role came at Bradford City - the same club where he started his managerial career in 1995. He spent three years at the Bantams before moving to Stoke, where he was dismissed after just 14 matches at the helm.
Kamara's popularity skyrocketed after he landed a prominent role with Sky Sports and is still adored nationwide since stepping away from his television commitments. His recent work bringing exposure to speech apraxia has been widely commended.
In his new book, Kamara detailed the heartbreaking moment he knew he had to give up his career. He wrote: "I covered Huddersfield versus Bristol City, but as I reached the top of the gantry stairs, which I’d walked down literally hundreds of times, I was gripped by a feeling I was going to fall down the 50 or so metal steps before me. My balance seemed to have gone completely and I negotiated them very gingerly.
"As I reached the last one, I saw a steward looking at me. ‘Watching you come down the steps reminded me of my old man,’ he said. He wasn’t to know, but it was the last thing I wanted to hear.
"By the time I reached the conclusion that I needed to act, I’d spent a year keeping my fears to myself. Fear and lack of knowledge eat away at you. Is there something seriously wrong with me? Is this dementia? Alzheimer’s? There’d been several high-profile cases of footballers of my era now paying the price for repeatedly heading a football. Could that be what had happened to me?"