He did become one of us though and I do wish he was in this current side, as all we really need is a lethal finisher and goal poacher. Wright reflects on his struggles to get in the England squad although acquired many caps in the latter stages of his career.

The arrival of Dennis Bergkamp brought a brief but fruitful striking partnership: in their first season together they helped Arsenal finish fifth in the league and qualify for the UEFA Cup. He also starred in Ian Wright's Excellent Adventure in which he travels to Greenland with a friend, 'Mrs C' (Novello Noades, wife of former Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades), to scale the highest mountain in the Arctic, Gunnbjørn. He scored on his debut against Leicester City in a League Cup tie, produced a hat-trick on his league debut against Southampton, [4] and in the final match of the season, scored another hat-trick against the Saints to take his total to 31 goals in all competitions. Wright was overlooked for the 1990 World Cup but was handed his England debut by manager Graham Taylor in February 1991.

Since this was when he was at the height of his career it was the section I was most looking forward to reading about but it still seemed strange to begin here. Ian Edward Wright OBE (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. Definitely the best sports autobiography I've read so far because it's well-paced, non-chronological and it's written exactly the way he speaks: down-to-earth, honest and straight to the point. Ian Wright, the Arsenal legend, has put together an honest and inspiring narrative with a happy ending here. Thoroughly enjoyed finding out about how revolutionary Arsenal Wenger was in the football game, how incredible it was to play with Dennis Bergkamp and how poorly treated he was by George Graham though it was odd to read despite George Graham really bullying him that he still thought positively about him and several others too which was strange and portrayed a submissive character.

Throughly enjoyed this book as Ian gives an intimate look into his life story and his thoughts on many issues within English football and culture. The next season, he gained full international honours, [4] and reached a hundred goals for Crystal Palace, [18] as the club finished in their highest ever league position of third place in the top flight.In A Life in Football: My Autobiography Ian Wright reveals all about his extraordinary journey from living on a South London council estate to England football player, including his stint in Chelmsford prison and breaking Arsenal’s goal scoring record. Ian Wright is such a humble and honest guy who really takes you on a short journey where he tells you his life in and outside Football, the friends he has made, the mistakes he has made and all the good things that come along with it. In his playing career, Wright was sponsored by the sportswear company Nike, and appeared in Nike commercials.

Seller has stated it will dispatch the item within 1 working day upon receipt of cleared payment - opens in a new window or tab . It was for a friendly against Hungary in September 1990 and the England camp was at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire. Yes, I was scoring goals at a regular rate for Palace, but getting asked to represent your country is the pinnacle – it’s every footballer’s dream. With exquisite wit and a distinctive voice, Ian frankly discusses, among other things, how retirement affects footballers, why George Graham deserves a statue, social media, the importance of music, racism, breaking Arsenal's goal-scoring record, and of course, what he thinks of Tottenham. Everybody was there on that list, and although I knew those guys would be in the squad, I could hardly believe my name was in there too.

Instantly he talks about how good George Graham was as a manager in terms of achievement but his acceptance of bungs ended his tenure as Arsenal manager. As of 2016–17 [update], only Wright and Teddy Sheringham have led the top-flight scoring charts having scored for two clubs during the season in question. While at Arsenal he shared a room with Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp, who had a massive influence on him.