Ian Wright reveals emotional reason he’s leaving Match of the Day and secret tattoo dedicated to love of fellow pundits

FOOTIE legend Ian Wright has revealed how he will spend Saturdays now he has quit Match Of The Day.

And, perhaps surprisingly, it involves watching a whole load more of the beautiful game.

The ex-England, Arsenal and Crystal Palace star will round off 26 years as a pundit at the end of the season, confessing his decision was “fast tracked” by turning 60 last month.

He has opened up for the first time about blowing the final whistle on his TV role, admitting just what it meant to him. And he has also revealed the secret tattoo he designed to honour his show colleagues.

Looking to the future, Ian — whose granddaughter also has huge footballing talent — said with his trademark laugh: “I’m going to actually watch more football.

“I’m going to watch my grand-daughter. I’m going to watch a lot more women’s games.

“I’m going to watch a lot more Arsenal games, just to be there with fans. Go with my son and his missus, be amongst it, just to celebrate when we win or when we lose.

“It’s been a bit of a realisation that I want to give quality time to them.

“So that’s what I want. To watch games, spend time with people.”

When Ian first appeared on Match Of The Day in 1997, during his playing days, he told then presenter Des Lynam the show was his “Graceland”.

He became a regular in 2002, two years after retiring from football, before leaving in 2008 and returning in 2015. And that feeling of wonder never left him.

‘We bonded tightly’

Chatting on his Wrighty’s House podcast hours after news of his departure was announced, Ian said: “I don’t want to go too deep into what it means to me, but the music . . . every time I hear the music it takes me back to an unbelievable place when I first remember what Match Of The Day meant to me, when I was allowed to actually be on it.

“When I was actually good enough to be on it as a regular, it was more than I ever thought it would be.

“When I first went on, I was winging it. I remember Des Lynam, when he welcomed me on, I said to him, ‘This is my Graceland’.

“You know, like when people visit Elvis? Match Of The Day was my Graceland. It’s an institution.”

Ian, a regular alongside Alan Shearer, 53, and host Gary Lineker, 63, revealed his decision to leave “had been coming for a while”.

Sharing the news on Sunday morning, the prolific goalscorer said: “I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible run on the most iconic football show in the world. I’m stepping back having made great friends and many great memories.

“This decision has been coming for a while. Maybe my birthday earlier this year fast-tracked it a little but, ultimately, it’s time to do a few more different things with my Saturdays.”

As part of the job, Wrighty would spend hours each week watching Premier League games. Now he will be taking in Arsenal ladies’ fixtures at Borehamwood, Herts, and matches starring his own brood.

His granddaughter Raphaella Wright-Phillips, whose father is former Manchester City ace Shaun Wright-Phillips, 42, is a talented young footballer who wowed fans with her skills in a recent viral video.

And his grandson, D’Margio Wright-Phillips, 22, has played at under-17 level for England and appeared 17 times for Stoke before going on loan to Northampton.

Dad-of-eight Ian has two younger daughters, Lola and Roxanne, with wife Nancy Hallam, who he married in 2011.

Ian said: “I’m going to watch my granddaughter. I want to see if I can watch my grandson play as well. He needs a bit more support now. It’s kind of fallen off a little bit for him.

“So hopefully I can watch him some more, spend a bit more time. I want to take Nance to more games as well because she really makes me laugh when she’s watching the game.

“She has to do so much on a weekend with the two girls, so I want to be a bit more present on that.”

Wrighty’s love affair with Match Of The Day began when he was a boy, then deepened as a player.

But a tough regime at home saw him — and his brother Maurice — banned from watching the show by their stepfather. Ian said: “When we was younger, my stepdad would make me and my brother turn around and face the wall.

“So we could hear the music, but we weren’t allowed to watch. My brother would hold my ears as I was crying not being able to watch it.”

He continued: “Then all the players, you all watch it. It’s not that you analyse yourself. I remember my best goal I ever scored was against Everton at Highbury and I couldn’t wait to watch Match Of The Day.

“Alan Hansen was doing the punditry and he said it was bad defending. I said, ‘For f***s sake Al, you’re taking that off of me?’. I said, ‘Jesus, that came out of nowhere, that goal. It was just pure fluidity’ and he said, ‘Terrible defending’.”

Even now Ian gets a thrill from appearing on the live TV show, which first aired in August 1964 with Kenneth Wolstenholme as host. Ian said: “When I first got the call for Match Of The Day, it does hit hard, you are nervous.

“Because people don’t realise it is live. You don’t get much time, you’ve got them in your ear saying, like, ‘ten seconds’, so at the start that would stress me out.

“When you first sit there and the music kicks in, that’s why I didn’t take offence when someone said I couldn’t string words together. I was trying to find words! But it gets better and better.”

Ian also gave an insight into the rituals between show regulars. He said: “Gary Lineker had an accident once where they were still talking and didn’t realise it had gone live. So as soon as the music kicks in, he says, ‘Is this for real?’. Every time.”

It’s not all been goals and trophies though, with Ian quitting the BBC in 2008, claiming he was less of a pundit and more of a “court jester”. He worked away from the channel for seven years before returning in 2015.

Continuing on the podcast, he said: “They gave me one game — Chelsea v Brentford — and after that people were writing in saying, ‘Where has he been?’ and it turned on its head.

“You get some really nice messages. Obviously there are some f***ing idiots out there but, in the main, you do get people who send you genuine thanks for that bit of insight.

“They say, ‘I really like how you guys do it, I love the camaraderie.”

The relationship between Ian, Gary and Alan has ushered in a golden era for the highlights show.

And Ian revealed he has a tattoo tribute to his two pals, adding: “I got my 8 9 10 tattoo because it’s my (old Arsenal football shirt) number, it’s Shearer’s number and it’s Gary Lineker’s number.

“Especially after we’d done Covid, we bonded really tightly in and around that time. We spoke to each other a lot.

“The other day Gary was vexed because there was some poll, Lineker or Shearer?

“And I said Shearer. And he said, ‘You said that too quickly for me’. I call him G-Force, and I said, ‘G-force, you know what you mean to me, bro!’.

“When we played against him, Alan Shearer was living rent free in my head.

“Now he is a friend. To be able to say we are tight, the family are tight, is incredible. I have to say he’s better than me at golf — which gets on my nerves — but I’m going to miss the guys.” In 2020, Wrighty was named TV/Radio Pundit of the Year by the Football Supporters’ Association.

In June he was made an OBE for services to football and charity and last month received the Freedom of the City of London.

Away from football, Wrighty’s TV hosting career has spanned everything from entertainment shows, including Friends Like These and Gladiators, to stints on Celebrity Big Brother, I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! and even his own talk show.

His ITV gameshow Moneyball has just been cancelled after two series. But it sounds like his new packed schedule as a football supporter will keep him busy.

Ian added with a laugh: “I feel like I might have to retire from that after a year!”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk