Ian Wright is a former professional football player and also a popular radio/TV personality. At present, he currently works for the sports channels such as ‘BBC Sport’ and ‘ITV Sport.’ He grew up facing bad childhood days. Based on a report, he was a kind of short-tempered person all over his childhood days. To know more about the former footballer, go through this article.
Early Life of Ian Wright
As already said, Ian Wright is an English former footballer. At present, he works as a commentator for the sports channels. He was born on November 3, 1963, in Woolwich, London, England. His parents are Nesta Wright and Herbert Maclean. They were Jamaican immigrants. Ian is the last son in his family and he has two older brothers named Nicky and Maurice.
Ian had bad childhood days since his father left his family when he was 18 months old baby. After some years, his mother married another person who didn’t care about Ian and his brothers. With such an uncaring situation, he experienced a lot of stress and eventually faced trauma too. His stepfather even beat him very much and thus, he stayed angry throughout his childhood days.
At what Moment aid Ian Realize his Strength to Become a Footballer?
Ian had tough childhood days and he used to stay angry always. Once, he was arrested for not paying the fine for driving without insurance and tax. While he was in prison, he had a sudden thought about where his life was going. Thus, he decided to turn his life, and thus, in 1985, he signed a contract with a semi-professional club named ‘Greenwich Borough.’
He can achieve this through his hard work and talent. Finally, in 1985 ‘Crystal Palace’ a football club hired him for his talent. Then, in September 1991, he received a big offer from ‘Arsenal’, which is the breakthrough in his life. He realized his strength when he was imprisoned in jail.
Also read: Nebraska Football Coach Scott Frost Faces Penalties for Rules Violation
Is Ian Wright Married and what about his Children?
Though Ian had tough childhood days, he then grew up to be the best family man. In his life, he married twice and also had a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Sharon Philips.
He even adopted Sharon’s son, Shaun Wright Phillips. He had another son with her named, Bradley Wright Phillips. Shaun was born in 1981 and Bradley was born in 1985. Shaun and Bradley are now professional football players and they played for New York Red Bulls.
Then, he dated another girlfriend with whom he had a third son, Brett born in 1987. He is also in the football profession for the shortest period. Then, Ian married Deborah with whom he has two kids. Deborah’s youngest son is Stacey and Bobbi-Lee is her elder daughter. Stacey was born in 1994 and Bobbi-Lee was born in 1998. Then, Coco was born in 2006 but there is not much information about Coco.
Finally, he married Nancy in 2011 with whom he has two daughters. Her daughters are Lola and Roxanne. Lola was born in 2009 and Roxanne was born in 2012. Thus, Ian has eight children from his relationships.
Football Career
After release from prison, he wanted to show his skill as a footballer and thus, he joined the local club named ‘Sunday League Club.’ Then, in 1985, he got a chance to join the semi-professional football club ‘Greenwich Borough.’ At this point, he found some financial improvements. Then, in August 1985, he signed ‘Crystal Palace’ for a professional contract for the first time.
During his first season in the 1980s, he became the second-highest goal-scorer by forming a good partnership with Mark Bright. Then, in 1989, he again scored good enough which are 33 goals for his team.
Then, in 1990, it is a breakthrough in his career when he signed a contract with ‘Arsenal.’ It is one of the leading teams considered in the ‘English Premier League.’ In 1991, he signed a record contract fee which is £2.5 million. Almost, for the next six seasons, Ian maintained to be the top goal-scorer.
In 1996, Arsene Wenger became the new manager of his club. He was very strict enough and concentrates much on fitness. At that time, Ian was 30 but still scored best than others on his team. Almost, he played 288 games for the Arsenal in which his score was 185 goals. So, in history, he stayed to be the second top-scorer for ‘Arsenal.’
Did Ian Wright win the Premier League?
Ian won 1 League Cup, 2 FA Cups, and 1 European Winners Cup. When he was in the ‘Arsenal’ club, he came out with a ‘Premier League’ title. In 1988, he played for ‘West Ham United’ and scored 9 goals in 22 games. He got slowed down due to aging after joining ‘West Ham.’ He also played for other clubs such as ‘Burnley’ and ‘Celtic.’
What age did Ian Wright Retire?
Ian Wright retired from his football profession when his age was 37. It was in the year 2000, that he announced his retirement officially to the media. After his retirement, he entered the TV industry and became a commentator on the sports channels.
When did Ian Enter the TV Industry?
Ian started his career on the TV as a guest host of the ‘Top of the Pops.’ Then, he presented many other shows like
- Friday Night’s All Wright
- The National Lottery
- Friends Like These
- What Kids Really Think
The man additionally becomes active on the radio too. He became the host of the shows like
- Absolute Radio
- BBC Radio 5
Finally, on the BBC Sports show ‘Match of the Day’, he was hired as a football pundit. Then, he became a football analyst for ‘BT Sport.’ In 2017, he left this analyst job after becoming busier with ‘Match of the Day.’
Coming to his net worth, he has around $20 million based on the Celebrity net worth.
Conclusion
This is all about the great football player, Ian Wright. Read through the article to know about his career, family, personal life, etc.
Also read: Getting The Most from Player Stats in Fantasy Football
