Ian Wright

Ian Wright
OBE
Wright in 2022
Personal information
Birth name Ian Edward Wright
Date of birth (1963-11-03) 3 November 1963
Place of birth London, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985 Greenwich Borough
1985–1991 Crystal Palace 225 (90)
1991–1998 Arsenal 221 (128)
1998–1999 West Ham United 22 (9)
1999Nottingham Forest (loan) 10 (5)
1999–2000 Celtic 8 (3)
2000 Burnley 15 (4)
Total 501 (239)
International career
1989–1992 England B 3 (0)
1991–1998 England 33 (9)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English media personality and former professional footballer.

Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal as a forward, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he lifted the Premier League title, both the major domestic cup competitions, and the European Cup Winners Cup.[2] Known for his speed, agility, finishing and aggression,[3] he played 581 league games, scoring 287 goals for seven clubs in Scotland and England, while also earning 33 caps for the England national team, and scoring nine international goals.[2]

Wright also played in the Premier League for West Ham United, the Scottish Premier League for Celtic and the Football League for Burnley and Nottingham Forest. As of 2025, he is Arsenal's second-highest scorer of all time and Crystal Palace's third-highest.[4][5]

Wright has been active in the media following his retirement, usually in football-related TV and radio shows. Two of his sons, Bradley and Shaun, are retired professional footballers. Wright is also a well-known advocate for women's football, especially for Arsenal's women's team.[6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ "Is I'm a Celebrity's Ian Wright married, does he have kids and how tall is he?". 20 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Ian Wright – Football Legend Profile". Talkfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  3. ^ "Tony Adams: Perfect XI". FourFourTwo. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  4. ^ "History: Goalscorers". Arsenal.com. 1 June 2017.
  5. ^ "All-time top scorers". Holmesdale.net. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Ian Wright: Taking a stand for women's football — fearless women". www.fearlesswomen.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Not blocking but building – Ian Wright's role in women's football - Palatinate". 8 May 2025. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  8. ^ Hashim, Taha (25 April 2025). "Eni Aluko apologises to Ian Wright for comments about his media work | Women's football | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  9. ^ "'Saved the club from embarrassment!' - Ian Wright aims dig at Mikel Arteta's side after Arsenal Women enjoy stunning win over Barcelona to lift Champions League | Goal.com Australia". www.goal.com. Retrieved 25 July 2025.