Ian Wright bid an emotional farewell as the Arsenal legend made his final pundit appearance on Match Of The Day after more than two decades.
Wright announced in December that he would be leaving his pundit role on the iconic BBC show and last night he received admiring tributes from presenter Gary Lineker and fellow panellist Alan Shearer.
The former England, Arsenal and Crystal Palace striker made his debut on the highlights show while still a player in 1997.
He became a regular pundit five years later, after retiring from the game in 2000.
Wright made his final appearance on the show on Sunday, when the 60-year-old was presented with a special cap, similar to those given to England internationals, to commemorate his time on the show.
Ian Wright looked excited as he made his final pundit appearance on Match of the Day.
Wright received a special cap to commemorate his time working on the top show.
Pundit Alan Shearer paid tribute to Wright and said he will be missed on the show.
In their last show, Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the fourth year in a row, finishing ahead of their former club Arsenal.
Wright offered emotional final words to presenter Gary Lineker and pundit Alan Shearer, saying the show meant “the world to me”.
He told his colleagues: ‘I’m going to miss you guys, really.
‘This has been the best for me. Match of the day means the world to me, you guys don’t even know it.
“That’s why I got eight, nine, ten (tattoos), my two boys that I love so much. People laugh at me, but I love you.”
Shearer responded by saying, “We’ll miss you on Saturdays,” while Lineker praised Wright’s contribution to the program.
Former England captain Lineker told Wright: “It has been an absolute pleasure and a delight to work with you for so long and you are a breath of fresh air – always have been.”
Wright made his first appearance on the show alongside then-presenter Des Lynam in 1997.
Wright’s first appearance on the iconic show saw him share the stage with Trevor Brooking.
Wright watched as a montage played, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta among those paying tribute.
A montage was also shown with further tributes from Lineker and Shearer, as well as contributions from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the club’s England international winger Bukayo Saka.
The footage included several of Wright’s best moments on the show, as well as her debut appearance in 1997 alongside then-presenter Des Lynam and pundit Trevor Brooking.
Wright’s children and grandchildren also appeared, congratulating him on his time on the show.
Confirming his departure in December, Wright said it was time to do “different things with my Saturdays.”
“After my debut in 1997 while still a player and many more memorable years, I will be leaving BBC MOTD at the end of this season,” Wright wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible involvement in the most iconic football program in the world.
‘Anyone who knows my story knows how much the show has meant to me since I was a child.
‘MOTD is my Holy Grail. At my first show, I said to Des Lynam, “This is my Graceland.” It will always be my Graceland and I will always be watching.
‘I’m taking a step back after having made great friends and many great memories. This decision has been going on for a while, maybe my birthday earlier this year sped it up a bit, but ultimately it’s time to do some more different things with my Saturdays.
Wright had announced in December that he would be leaving the show at the end of the season.
He was half of the show’s first father-son expert team with Shaun Wright-Phillips.
“I’m really looking forward to my final few months on the show and covering what will hopefully be an incredible Premier League title race.”
Wright was initially a regular on Match of the Day between 2002 and 2008, before leaving the show, only to return to the studio on a regular basis in 2015.
Last May, he became one half of the first father and son pundit team in Match Of The Day’s illustrious history, when he appeared alongside Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Lineker noted that Wright will be around next week when he works for rival broadcaster ITV on the FA Cup final.
Wright is also a regular on Stick to Football, an Overlap podcast series.
He came relatively late to top-flight football success, playing amateur and semi-professional football in south London before signing his first professional contract with Crystal Palace as a 21-year-old in August 1985.
He became the south London side’s top scorer in the post-war period before signing for Arsenal for a club-record asking fee of £2.5 million in September 1991.
His 185 goals in 288 games for the Gunners made him their all-time leading scorer at the time, only for Thierry Henry to break his record later.
His time at Arsenal included winning the Premier League in 1998, the FA Cup in 1993 and 1998, the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup the following year.
She has also received praise for speaking out about the child abuse she suffered at the hands of her violent parents. stepfather – who made him stand with his noise against the wall every time his beloved Match of the Day appeared on television.
In an interview ahead of a BBC documentary in 2021, Wright also revealed how he slept in front of the same wall to try to escape the sound of his stepfather beating his mother.
Speaking to the Radio Times before the show called Ian Wright: Home Truths, he said: ‘The wall was horrible. It was terribly cold and I was very asthmatic at the time.
‘The bed was against the wall, so I was lying right next to it and they covered my ears.
“It was something horrible and claustrophobic. I don’t like to think about that.
Wright, who was awarded an MBE in 2002 for his services to football, also spent time in prison – for unpaid driving fines – before being signed by Crystal Palace.
In the May 2021 BBC documentary, a tearful Wright was seen returning to his former family home on Honor Oak Estate in Brockley, south London.
Wright was raised by his mother and stepfather, after his biological father abandoned him when he was 18 months old, and grew up with brothers Maurice and Nicky.
He became emotional as he talked about how his family slept together in the same room and how he listened to his stepfather abuse his mother.
He also revealed how his brother Maurice covered his ears to protect him from the noise of the blows.
Wright told the Radio Times: ‘My mother often had black eyes. He (my stepfather) mistreated you: he yelled at you, intimidated you, insulted you. He was really strong, big and overwhelming.”
He also revealed that his mother Nesta also abused him saying she “wished he had fired me.”
Wright said. “For years it was a terrible experience for me to deal with that: knowing that the person you love the most and want love from the most has those feelings.
“Whether he meant what he said or not, no one should have to hear that.”
Despite the abuse, Wright says she has supported her mother and stepfather and recently made peace with her mother, who was in her 90s.
He has also fondly remembered primary school teacher Sydney Pigden, who taught him to read and write and made him register and check his milk, as well as Tony Davis and Harold Palmer, who coached the local Ten-Em football team. Bee.
He said: ‘They used to come to my house to pick me up and take me straight to training.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but they were doing everything they could to help me avoid getting in trouble with the police.
“And then I blew it anyway and ended up in prison when I was 19.”
Wright spent two weeks in Chelmsford prison in 1982 for unpaid driving fines and, after being rejected by Brighton, left football to become a labourer.
He said the experience gave him the motivation to change his life, telling The Guardian in 2007: “The sound of the prison doors closing and the crazy people inside taught me: I can’t live my life like this.”