May 19th 2024.
Ian Wright made his first appearance on Match of the Day back in 1997, and after over two decades of being a pundit on the show, he bid an emotional farewell on Sunday night. The 60-year-old had announced in December that this season would be his last on the BBC programme, where he had been a regular since 2002. However, he first appeared on the show five years earlier while still playing as a professional footballer.
As the show began, Wright was visibly emotional and by the end, he was even teary-eyed. In a heartwarming gesture, he was presented with a special cap, similar to the ones given to England internationals, with the Match of the Day logo embossed on it. The show also featured a montage of Wright's time as a pundit, along with messages from his friends, colleagues, children, and grandchildren.
After the feature, when the show cut back to the studio, Wright, now wearing his cap, became emotional and said, "I'm going to miss you guys, I really am. Match of the Day means the whole world to me, you lot don't even know. I've got my eight, nine, ten tattoos of Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, my two guys who I love so much on there." He then explained that people often make fun of him for getting tattoos of their shirt numbers, but it's because he truly admires and respects them.
As emotions ran high, Wright's fellow pundits Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer also shared their heartfelt messages. Shearer said he would miss Wright just as much, while Lineker added, "We'll see you next week at the Cup final, I know you'll be about 200 yards from us working for ITV, but we'll see you then at least. It's been an absolute pleasure and delight to work with you for so long. You're a breath of fresh air and you always have been. Thank you."
Wright had hoped to end his Match of the Day career by seeing his former club Arsenal win the Premier League for the first time in two decades, but unfortunately, they fell short. Reflecting on a crucial miss by Tottenham Hotspur's Heung-min Son in a midweek match against Manchester City, Wright said, "Honestly, you couldn't have asked for a better person. When he was going through, I was thinking, 'Oh my god, this is it.' And then the more you watch it, you can see how far his standing foot was from the ball, he kind of rushed the finish, he didn't get a good connection."
In December, when Wright announced his decision to step down from Match of the Day, he said, "After my debut show while still a player in 1997 and many more memorable years, I'll be stepping back from BBC MOTD at the end of this season." He added, "I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible run on the most iconic football show in the world." Wright also mentioned that the show has always been his "Holy Grail" and that it will always hold a special place in his heart.
But this is not the end of Wright's career as a football pundit. He will still be covering this summer's Euros with ITV. Explaining his decision to step down, he said, "This decision has been coming for a while, maybe my 60th birthday earlier this year fast tracked it a little, but ultimately it's time to do a few more different things with my Saturdays." And while he may be leaving Match of the Day, his love for the show and the game of football will always remain.
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