Ian Wright made his name playing for some of England’s biggest football teams, including Crystal Palace and Arsenal. But his success wasn’t just limited to the pitch, he left the sport behind to present a variety of popular TV programs. His presenting career kicked off when he was a guest host on Top of the Pops before he was given his own chat show, Friday Night’s All Wright, interviewing celebs such as Elton John and Mariah Carey. Let’s know more about the multi-talented retired soccer player nearly through this article.
What is Ian Wright famous for?
Wright is best known for his position as a striker for teams including Crystal Palace from 1985 to 1991, Arsenal from 1991 to 1998, West Ham United from 1998 to 1999, Celtic from 1999 to 2000, and Burnley in 2000. He is also known patron of the African-Caribbean Leukemia trust and received the MBE in 2000 for his efforts in football.
How old is Ian Wright?
Recalling his early life, Wright was born in Woolwich, London, England as Ian Edward Wright in the year 1963. Currently, he aged 56 years old. He is British by nationality and belongs to English-Jamaican ethnicity. He is the third son of his parents who are Jamaican immigrants. His father, Herbert was absent from a young age, and he was brought up by his mother, Nesta, and an abusive stepfather. Information regarding his academic qualification is yet to be disclosed.
How Ian Wright become a soccer player?
- Moving towards his career, Wright began playing football from his teenage. Despite having had trials at Southend United and Brighton during his teens, he was unable to attract sufficient interest to win a professional contract offer.
- Later, Wright got to chance to play for Bermondsey-based Sunday league club Ten-em-Bee before signing for semi-professional Greenwich Borough in 1985 for £30 a week.
- Through his six or seven matches, he impressed then-manager Steve Coppell. Then, he signed professional terms for Crystal Palace in August 1985, just three months short of his 22nd birthday. He quickly made his mark in his first season, scoring nine goals to finish as Palace’s second-highest scorer.
- After that, He was called up for England B duty in December 1989 but a twice-cracked shin bone reduced his initial impact in the First Division. However, after recovering from the injury he made a dramatic appearance as a ‘super-sub’, in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.
- He signed for Arsenal in September 1991 for £2.5m, which at the time was a club-record fee. He scored on his debut against Leicester City in a League Cup tie, produced a hat-trick on his league debut against Southampton, and in the final match of the season, scored another hat-trick to take his total to 31 goals in all competitions.
- In July 1998, Wright moved to West Ham United for £500,000. He spent fifteen months as a West Ham player, scoring the winner on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday, without reaching the same form he had at Arsenal. He had subsequent short spells at Nottingham Forest, Celtic, and Burnley before retiring in 2000.
- In March 2007, He was appointed Director of Football Strategy of Isthmian League team, Ashford Town, with him taking his place on the board of directors, following his purchase of a stake in the club.
- On 18th May 2012, He was named as a part-time first-team coach at Milton Keynes Dons. He left the role in 2013.
- Besides this, he also involved in broadcasting. He began his television career as a guest host on Top of the Pops. He was later signed up by ITV to present his own chat show, Friday Night’s All Wright, where he interviewed celebrities such as Elton John, Mariah Carey and Will Smith which ran for two seasons.
- Since then, he has gone on to present programs such as Friends Like These, I’d Do Anything, The National Lottery Wright Ticket and What Kids Really Think. He took over from David Seaman in Autumn 2004 as a team captain on BBC game show They Think It’s All Over, which ran until 2006.
- Later, He was a presenter on Channel 5’s early evening magazine program Live from Studio Five, from its launch in September 2009, to August 2010. He originally co-presented the show alongside, former model Melinda Messenger, and runner-up of The Apprentice, Kate Walsh.
- In November 2019, it was announced that he would be participating in the nineteenth series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!.
Is Ian Wright Shaun’s dad?
Reflecting on her personal life, Wright is rich in the relationship and married twice in his life. He was tied the knot in 2011 with Nancy Hallam, and the pair have two kids together, Lola and Roxanne. Previously, he was married to Debbie Martin in 1993. The pair have two children, Stacey and Bobbi-Lee.
While young, Wright adopted the son named Shaun of his then-girlfriend Sharon Phillips and had another child with her named Bradley. He also had a son named Brett with another girlfriend. Also, he has a daughter named Coco. Altogether, he has eight children with four women in his life.
What is Ian Wright’s net worth?
Being a part of the sports industry since 1985, Wright earned a greater fortune and fame through his long dedicated as a soccer player, television and radio personality. Based on online reports, his estimated net worth said to be $20 million at present. With lots of skills and expertise in work, his net worth is increasing every year.
How tall is Ian Wright?
Observing his body statistics, Wright stands a height of 5 feet 9 inches and his weight is unknown. He has a pair of black eyes and black hair color. His other body information is yet to be disclosed. In the case of disclosed, we will let you know.
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