Ian Wright



         


Ian Wright MBE is a former professional footballer who achieved fame playing up front for Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England.

Since his retirement, he has become a popular media personality, appearing on Match of the Day, where his slightly eccentric and over-the-top style of match analysis (most notably, when covering all games played in Japan during the 2002 World Cup, he wore a kimono in the studio) has gained him equal amounts of praise and derision. He is also a popular presenter, having had his own chat show at one point (Friday Night's All Wright, which began in 1998 while Wright was still playing) which was noted mainly for the inclusion of a cage of Tottenham Hotspur fans (traditionally, Arsenal and Tottenham are hated rivals). Since then, he has gone on to present programmes such as the National Lottery broadcasts, Friends Like These, radio show Wright & Bright (with old footballing friend and Crystal Palace F.C. strike partner Mark Bright), An Audience with Lennox Lewis, and Guinness World Records. He was awarded the MBE in 2000 for services to football.

He was born in Woolwich, south London, on 3rd November 1961. He came to professional football late, signing for Palace in 1985 (at the age of 24). After rejections from Millwall and Brighton he played for amateur and non-league teams, culminating at Greenwich Borough, where he was spotted by Palace scout Peter Prentice.

He signed for Arsenal in 1991 for what was at the time a club record fee (£2.5m) and went on to become the clubs all time leading goalscorer.

His stepson, Shaun Wright-Phillips, currently plays for Manchester City F.C.

Wright is also the patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.

Teams (as professional)

Honours

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