_(cropped).jpg) Wright in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Ian Edward Wright | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-11-03)3 November 1963 (age 62) | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||
| Position | 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) |
| 1999 | →Nottingham 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 professionalfootballer.
Wright enjoyed success with London clubsCrystal Palace andArsenal as aforward, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he lifted thePremier League title, both the major domestic cup competitions, and theEuropean 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 theEngland national team, and scoring nine international goals.[2]
Wright also played in the Premier League forWest Ham United, theScottish Premier League forCeltic and theFootball League forBurnley andNottingham Forest. As of 2025[update], he is Arsenal'ssecond-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 andShaun, are retired professional footballers. Wright is also a well-known advocate forwomen's football, especially forArsenal's women's team.[6][7][8][9]
In 2025, Wright was named as the UK's second-most influential black person in the2026 Powerlist.[10]
Ian Edward Wright[11] was born to Jamaican parents in theWoolwich area of London on 3 November 1963.[12] He has two older brothers.[13] His father was absent and he was brought up by his mother, Nesta, and a stepfather who was abusive.[13][14] He is a cousin of fellow footballerJermaine Wright[15] and actorPatrick Robinson,[16] and the uncle of fellow footballerDrey Wright.[17]
Wright came to professional football relatively late. Despite having had trials atSouthend United andBrighton & Hove Albion during his teens,[2] he was unable to attract sufficient interest to win a professional contract offer. Reverting to playing for amateur andnon-League teams, he was left disillusioned about his chances of a career as a professional footballer.[2] After a spell of poverty during which his wife was expecting their first child, Wright spent 32 days inChelmsford Prison for failing to pay fines for driving without tax or insurance. He recalls that after being locked in the cell, he burst into tears and vowed to God to do everything in his power to make it as a footballer.[18][19]
Wright described his school teacher Sydney Pigden, who taught him to read and write, as "the first positive male figure" in his life.[20] Having been incorrectly told that Pigden had died and believing it for many years, Wright and his former mentor were reunited in a 2005 episode of the BBC seriesWith a Little Help From My Friends,[21] with the clip of Wright crying and hugging Pigden often goingviral years later.[22] Growing up, Wright had an affinity for several London clubs. In his autobiography, he describesMillwall as "the first football team [he] fell in love with" and writes that he "genuinely had loved West Ham" since he was young, with their kit being the first he owned.[23] He also had an early connection withArsenal as he was close friends with club legendDavid Rocastle.
From being a teenager, until the age of 21, Wright played forLewisham-based amateurSunday league club Ten-em-Bee (a club his sons Brett andShaun also later played for) becoming the top scorer in theLondon and Kent Border Sunday League.[24][25] In 1985 Wright was signed by semi-professionalGreenwich Borough and got paid £30 a week.[26]
After a season at Greenwich, Wright was spotted by aCrystal Palace scout after a tip-off fromDulwich Hamlet manager Billy Smith and was invited for a trial atSelhurst Park.[27] Having impressed then-managerSteve Coppell,[2] he signed a professional contract with Palace in August 1985, just three months short of his 22nd birthday, the agreed fee being a set of weightlifting equipment.[28]
He quickly made his mark in his first season, scoring nine goals to finish as Palace's second-highest scorer. WhenMark Bright arrived on the Palace scene the following year the duo soon established a successful striking partnership and it was largely their goals which took the club back to the top flight via the playoffs in 1989.[29] Wright was particularly instrumentalthat season, scoring 24 goals in theSecond Division and a total of 33 in all competitions.[30]
Wright was called up forEngland B duty in December 1989 but a twice-crackedshin bone reduced his initial impact in the First Division.[29] However, after recovering from the injury he made a dramatic appearance as a 'super-sub', in the1990 FA Cup Final againstManchester United.[31] He equalised for Palace a few minutes after coming onto the field forcingextra time, then putting them ahead in extra time.[31] The eventual score was 3–3,[2] but Palace lost the replay 1–0.[31]
The next season, he gained fullinternational honours,[2] and reached a hundred goals for Crystal Palace,[29] as the club finished in their highest ever league position of third place in the top flight. He also scored twice as Palace beatEverton to win theFull Members Cup atWembley.[2] Wright became renowned for his deadly striking ability, as shown when he scored ahat-trick in just eighteen minutes in Palace's penultimate game of the1990–91 season away toWimbledon.[29]
Wright scored 117 goals in 253 starts and 24 substitute appearances over six seasons for The Eagles in all competitions,[2] making him the club's record post-war goalscorer[29] and third on the all-time list.[32]In 2005, he was voted into theirCentenary XI and was named as their "Player of The Century".[33] In December 2023, during an appearance on The OverlapYouTube channel hosted byGary Neville, Wright revealed he was bullied by teammateJim Cannon until Cannon's departure from the club in 1988. Wright voiced his experiences with Cannon at the time to Coppell, which included Cannon berating Wright for eating communal food and Cannon "two-foot jumping [Wright]" in the back after he scored past Cannon during a training session. Cannon later disputed parts of Wright's account but admitted to giving him "a little slap".[34][35]
Wright signed forArsenal in September 1991 for £2.5m,[2] which at the time was a club record fee.[2] He scored on his debut againstLeicester City in aLeague Cup tie, produced a hat-trick on his league debut againstSouthampton,[2] 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.[36][37] Wright's 29 league goals (24 for Arsenal, 5 for Palace) were enough to make him theleague's top scorer.[37][38] As of 2016–17[update], only Wright andTeddy Sheringham have led the top-flight scoring charts having scored for two clubs during the season in question.[38]
Wright went on to be the club's top scorer for six seasons in a row.[28] He played a major part in the club's success during the 1990s, winning an FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993;[28] scoring in both the FA Cup Final itself and the replay againstSheffield Wednesday.[2] Wright also helped Arsenal reach the1994 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, although he was suspended for the final in which Arsenal beatParma 1–0.[2]
Behind every great goalkeeper there's a ball from Ian Wright.
Wright scored in every round but the final of Arsenal's1995 Cup Winners' Cup runners-up campaign,[2] and scored freely in the Premier League,[36] but it was a difficult time for Arsenal following the dismissal of managerGeorge Graham over illegal payments, and under caretakerStewart Houston they could only manage a 12th-place finish in the league.[2]
The arrival ofBruce Rioch led to a bleaker time; the two did not get on, resulting in heated arguments in training, with Rioch berating Wright at half-time of a 5–0 pre-season victory overSt Albans City (in which Wright scored). It caused Wright to hand in a transfer request, which he later retracted.[2] The arrival ofDennis Bergkamp brought a brief but fruitful striking partnership: in their first season together, they helped Arsenal finish fifth in the league and qualify for theUEFA Cup.[40] They also reached the League Cup semi-finals, which they lost on away goals to eventual winnersAston Villa.[41]
By the timeArsène Wenger arrived at Arsenal in September 1996, Wright was nearly 33. Despite his age, he continued to score regularly, and was thesecond-highest Premier League scorer in the1996–97 season with 23 goals. That season he also set a record by scoring against 17 of Arsenal's 19 opponents, a record for a 20 team Premier League season; scoring against every team butSunderland andManchester United.[42] However this was equalled byRobin van Persie in 2012.[43] On 13 September 1997, he brokeCliff Bastin's club record to become Arsenal's then-all-time top scorer with a hat-trick againstBolton Wanderers, and hismemorable goal celebration saw him reveal a shirt with "Just Done It" written on it.[28][44]
Wright's final goal atHighbury, on 4 October againstBarnsley, was his 300th career goal for both Crystal Palace and Arsenal.[45] He scored his final goal for the club on 6 January 1998 in a League Cup quarter-final victory againstWest Ham United at theBoleyn Ground.[45] A hamstring injury ruled him out for much of the remainder of the season.[2] In his absence, Arsenal were eliminated in the semi-final by Chelsea,[46] ending their hopes of a domestic treble. He was an unused substitute as Arsenal won the1998 FA Cup Final,[2] and lifted his first Premier League title as the Gunners completed a league and cup double.[28]
Wright scored 185 goals from 288 appearances (279 starts) for Arsenal, and scored eleven hat-tricks for them, a total surpassed only byJimmy Brain and Jack Lambert.[47][2][48] As of the 2022–23 season[update], he is Arsenal's second highest goalscorer of all time, behindThierry Henry who broke his record in 2005.[4][2] Wright was placed fourth in a 2008 poll of fans conducted on the club's website to select their 50 greatest players.[28]
In July 1998, Wright moved toWest Ham United for £500,000.[2] He spent fifteen months as a West Ham player, scoring the winner on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday,[49] without reaching the same form he had at Arsenal. During his spell there he made headlines when he vandalised the referee's dressing room at Upton Park after being sent off during a match againstLeeds United.[50] He had subsequent short spells atNottingham Forest,[2]Celtic,[2] andBurnley (whom he helped to promotion toDivision One)[51] before retiring in 2000.[2]
Whilst at Celtic, Wright became involved in a campaign by some fans calling for the removal of manager,John Barnes. Celtic's performances had been poor and Wright, Barnes andRegi Blinker were considered by some to be not sufficiently talented to improve the club. Wright and Blinker were consequently abused by some Celtic fans. Wright said of the incidents, "I felt I was caught up in awar crisis in Kosovo not involved in a football result that wrecked John Barnes' career as Celtic manager. Some so-called fans, a few morons who know nothing better, covered my car in spit, they were shouting obscenities at myself and Regi Blinker."[17] Wright scored on his debut for Celtic as he had for Nottingham Forest.[52][53] He finished his club career with 313 goals in all competitions.[2]
Wright was overlooked for the1990 World Cup but was handed hisEngland debut by managerGraham Taylor in February 1991.[2]He started in the 2–0 victory againstCameroon atWembley[54] and helped England reach the finals ofEuro 1992 in Sweden.[55] Despite the fact that his international career spanned eight years, 87 matches and three full-time managers, he only started 17 times and was a used substitute in 16 matches.[55]In each of the seven seasons that followed the1990 World Cup, Wright never scored fewer than 23 goals a season for his club.[56] He scored 25 goals for Crystal Palace during the 1990–91 campaign[29]before going on to break the 30 club-goal barrier five times in the following six seasons.[citation needed] Despite Wright's goalscoring feats, the highest number of games he started for England consecutively was three—something he only did twice.[55]
Taylor, who became England manager after the1990 World Cup in Italy[57] and remained in charge for 38 matches,[57] only handed Wright nine starts and seven substitute appearances.[58] He opted instead to use a whole host of less prolific strikers, includingNigel Clough of Nottingham Forest,Paul Stewart of Tottenham Hotspur,David Hirst of Sheffield Wednesday andBrian Deane of Sheffield United.[58] Wright did not make it into the squad forEuro 1992, with Clough,Gary Lineker of Tottenham Hotspur,Alan Shearer of Southampton and Arsenal teammatesAlan Smith andPaul Merson preferred. This was particularly surprising as Wright had been the highest top division goalscorer in England that season.[55][59]
Five of Wright's nine international goals were scored under Taylor's management; these included a vital late equaliser in a 1–1 away draw againstPoland in May 1993[54] and four goals in the 7–1 away win againstSan Marino inBologna, Italy, in November 1993,[54] the final match of Taylor's reign as manager.[60] Both matches were qualifiers for the1994 World Cup in the US, for which England failed to qualify - missing out for the first time since 1978.[61]
Terry Venables replaced Taylor as manager after the unsuccessful1994 World Cup qualifying campaign[57] but Wright's appearances in the side became even more limited. Despite featuring in four of the first five matches under Venables, albeit three times as a substitute,[58] Wright never played under his management again.[58] Ultimately, it cost Wright a place in the squad forEuro 1996, where England reached the semi-finals as the host nation.[62] Venables vacated his position as England manager after the tournament and was replaced byGlenn Hoddle.[57]
After being absent from international football for 21 consecutive matches, Wright was recalled to the England team by Hoddle in November 1996 when he came off the bench in a 2–01998 World Cup qualifying victory inGeorgia.[63] It had been over two years since Wright had made his previous England appearance in October 1994.
Four of Wright's nine international goals were scored under Hoddle's management. He scored the winner in a 2–1 friendly win againstSouth Africa atOld Trafford in May 1997,[64] and the opener a month later in a 2–0 victory overItaly in theTournoi de France, and assisted Paul Scholes for England's second goal.[65] England won the four-team tournament, staged as a warm-up event to the1998 World Cup in France, which also included world championsBrazil as well as the hosts.[65]
Wright went on to help England qualify for the1998 World Cup, scoring two goals and assisting Paul Gascoigne in the 4–0 qualifying campaign victory againstMoldova atWembley in September 1997,[66] before producing arguably[2] his best performance for his country in the vital 0–0 draw inItaly, a month later, which secured his country's passage through to the finals.[67] He missed out on the finals through injury.[68]
Following the1998 World Cup, Wright went on to play a further two times for England as aWest Ham United player. He came on as a substitute in theEuro 2000 qualifier in Luxembourg, a match England won 3–0 in October 1998.[69] He made his final international appearance, a month later, in a friendly against theCzech Republic atWembley.[2] England won the match 2–0 and it also turned out to be Hoddle's final game as manager.[2]
Wright started seven matches and was used as a substitute on six occasions under Hoddle, who was manager for 28 matches.[70] He made his first appearance under Hoddle aged 33 and his final appearance under him aged 35. England went on to qualify forEuro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands,[71] by which time, Wright was approaching his 37th birthday and retired from club football shortly after the tournament.[2] OnlyMick Channon played more times for England without being selected for a World Cup or European Championships squad. However, during Channon's England career, which spanned the years 1972–1977, England failed to qualify for either of these tournaments, while during Wright's they qualified for two European Championships and one World Cup.[72]
In March 2007, Wright was appointedDirector of football strategy ofIsthmian League team,Ashford Town, (now reformed as Ashford United) with him taking his place on the board of directors,[73] following his purchase of a stake in the club.[74]
On 18 May 2012, Wright was named as a first team coach atMilton Keynes Dons.[75] He left the role in June 2013.[76]
In November 2024, it was announced that Wright was set to manage one of the 12 teams in the upcomingBaller League UK, asix-a-side football league. He became the co-manager of Wembley Rangers AFC alongsideArsenal WomenwingerChloe Kelly.[77][78]
Wright began his television career as a guest host onTop of the Pops.[79] He was later signed up byITV to present his own chat show,Friday Night's All Wright,[79] on which he interviewed celebrities such asElton John,[80]Mariah Carey andWill Smith;[81] it ran for two series.
Since then, he has gone on to present programmes such asFriends Like These,[82][83]I'd Do Anything,[79]The National Lottery Wright Ticket[79] andWhat Kids Really Think.[84] He took over fromDavid Seaman in Autumn 2004 as a team captain on BBC game showThey Think It's All Over, which ran until 2006.[84]
Wright has also starred inMen & Motors showWright Across America, where he fulfils a lifelong dream to travel coast to coast across America on aHarley-Davidson motorbike, a show famous for Wright's rocky relationship with co-host and legendary custom bike builderNicky Bootz.[85]
He also starred inIan Wright's Excellent Adventure in which he travels to Greenland with a friend, 'Mrs C' (Novello Noades, wife of former Crystal Palace chairmanRon Noades), to scale the highest mountain in the Arctic,Gunnbjørn.[85]
Wright appeared as a "celebrity hijacker" in the television seriesBig Brother: Celebrity Hijack.[86]
On 12 March 2008, Wright was confirmed as one of the presenters of the new series of the popular game showGladiators.[87]
Wright was a presenter onChannel 5's early evening magazine programmeLive from Studio Five, from its launch in September 2009, to August 2010. He originally co-presented the show alongside former modelMelinda Messenger and the runner-up ofThe Apprentice,Kate Walsh. After Messenger left, Wright continued to present the show alongside Walsh and new presenterJayne Middlemiss until 11 August 2010. At the beginning of the 12 August edition, Walsh and Middlemiss announced that Wright would not be presenting the show that evening. At the end of the programme, they revealed that he had left the show and would not be returning. Wright was also reported to be unhappy with other changes at the programme, such as its daily airtime being cut from 60 to 30 minutes.[88] During an interview withAbsolute Radio the next day, Wright stated: "It's just been arguments for the last couple of weeks."[88] His contract was due to end in September 2010 and was not going to be renewed.[88][89] The show was axed in February 2011.
Wright presentedFootball Behind Bars, a reality TV series aired onSky1 about his programme to socialise young men incarcerated atPortland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset by organising them in a football academy. The program was an experiment with the prison authority with an eye to expanding it to other prisons if it was successful. The series ran 6 episodes, aired weekly from 7 September to 12 October 2009.[90]
Wright featured on an episode of BBC'sTop Gear in 2005, posting a 1.47.8 on the celebrity power lap times.
In November 2019, it was announced that Wright would be participating in thenineteenth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[91]
In February 2021, it was announced that Wright would be hosting a new prime time game show forITV calledMoneyball.[92]
Wright makes a number of appearances in theAmazon Original sportsdocuseriesAll or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their2021–22 season.[93]
On 10 March 2023, Wright announced he would boycott the next broadcast ofMatch of the Day in solidarity with presenterGary Lineker, who stepped back from his duties amid a row over comment criticising thegovernment's immigration policies.[94] Wright made his last appearance on the show on 19 May 2024.[95]
In 2001, Wright joinedBBC Radio 5 to co-hostThe Wright & Bright Show with former Crystal Palace teammateMark Bright.[96]
He formerly co-hosted the drivetime slot (4–7 pm) Monday to Thursday onTalksport, withAdrian Durham.[97]In 2010 Wright joinedAbsolute Radio, hostingRock 'N' Roll Football, post match analysis and chat on Saturdays from 5 till 7.[98]In August 2013, he joinedKelly Cates as the Sunday co-presenter onBBC Radio 5's606 football phone-in programme.[99]
Wright appears in theApple TV+ seriesTed Lasso, alongsideSeema Jaswal as the co-host of the fictional sports show,Forza Love of the Game.
Wright appears in theNetflix-distributed science fiction action drama filmThe Kitchen as Lord Kitchener, apirate radio station DJ who broadcasts to the struggling community known as The Kitchen. The film debuted on Netflix on 12 January 2024, having premiered at the 67thBFI London Film Festival on 15 October 2023.[100][101]
Since his retirement from football, Wright appeared as a pundit onBBC Sport'sInternationalMatch of the Day and has been a pundit for the2002 and2006 World Cups andEuro 2004.[102][103][104]
On 17 April 2008, Wright quit his job onMatch of the Day and criticised the programme for using him as a "comedy jester", saying "Fans want people who are dressed like them. They've got no one to relate to on TV and that's why I've said to them I don't want to do the England games any more."[105]
In 2013, he joinedBT Sport as a studio analyst for their coverage of thePremier League,FA Cup,UEFA Champions League andUEFA Europa League.[106] Since 2014, Wright has also been a regular studio pundit, along withLee Dixon, for all England matches onITV, and was one of the main studio pundits for their coverage of2014 FIFA World Cup andEuro 2016.[107]
Wright leftBT Sport in 2017 to increase his role at theBBC, regularly appearing onMatch of the Day andMatch of the Day 2, as well as continuing to co-host the 606 phone in show on Sunday evenings alongsideKelly Cates. Wright also now co-hosts 5 Live Sport on a Monday evening, alongsideMark Chapman on BBC Radio 5 Live. He also appears every Tuesday onThe Debate on Sky Sports' Premier League channel, once again teaming up withKelly Cates.[108] Wright also appears regularly as one of the BBC's lead pundits for live games, regularly working withGary Lineker andAlan Shearer.
From October 2020, Wright co-hosted his own podcast,Wrighty's House, onThe Ringer FC, with a rotating panel of guests includingMusa Okwonga, Ryan Hunn,Jeanette Kwakye, Flo Lloyd-Hughes, Carl Anka and Mayowa Quadri.[109] The last episode was 3 June 2025 - unknown if on permanent hiatus.
Since September 2024, Wright has co-hosted theCrossways football podcast with former England captainSteph Houghton.[110]
In 2020, Wright was named TV/Radio Pundit of the Year by theFootball Supporters' Association.[111] He won the award for a second time in 2022 as well as Pundit of the Year at the Broadcast Sports Awards andWorld Soccer's Broadcaster of the Year.[112]
Wright has appeared in television commercials for the chicken sauce,Chicken Tonight,Nescafé andLadbrokes along withChris Kamara,Ally McCoist and formerArsenal teammateLee Dixon.[113][114] Wright appeared in an advertisement for theWii console where he was seen playingMario Strikers Charged andWii Sports with his son Shaun.[115] In his playing career, Wright was sponsored by the sportswear companyNike, and appeared in Nike commercials.[116][117] In October 1992, Ian Wright featured on the first TV commercial for Nike in the UK, Nike "Kick it" was Nike first TV commercial for Football.[118] In 1996, he starred in a Nike commercial titled "Good vs Evil" in a gladiatorial game set in aRoman amphitheatre. Appearing alongside football players from around the world, includingRonaldo,Eric Cantona,Luís Figo,Patrick Kluivert,Paolo Maldini andJorge Campos, they defend "the beautiful game" against a team of demonic warriors, which culminates with Cantona striking the ball and destroying evil.[116] In 1997, he starred in Nike's "Park Life" commercial (set to the tune "Parklife" byBlur) where a group of pub league players playing amateur football atHackney Marshes in east London are suddenly joined by top Premier League footballers, including Wright, Cantona,David Seaman andRobbie Fowler.[119] In 2000, "Park Life" was ranked number 15 inChannel 4's poll ofThe 100 Greatest TV Ads.[120]
Wright has also done work forBarclays.[121]
In 1993, Wright wrote and released the song "Do the Right Thing", which was co-written and produced byPet Shop Boys memberChris Lowe.[122] It reached No. 43 on theUK Singles Chart.[123]
While he was still a professional footballer at Arsenal, Wright wrote his autobiographyMr Wright, which was published in hardback by Collins Willow in 1996.[124]
Wright is also acolumnist for tabloid newspaperThe Sun.[125]
In 2016, Wright wrote an updated version of his autobiography calledA Life in Football, published by Constable.
In 2021, Wright andMusa Okwonga co-wroteStriking Out, his first novel.[126] The book is aimed at children and young people and is inspired by many issues that Wright himself dealt with while growing up as a young, black, working-class footballer in London.[127]
Wright adoptedShaun (born 1981), the son of his then-girlfriend Sharon Phillips, when Shaun was three years old; Wright and Phillips later had another son together namedBradley (born 1985).[13] Both sons went on to become professional footballers, as did Shaun's sonD'Margio (born 2001).[128] Wright also has a son from a different relationship.[13][129]
In June 2014, whilst Wright was away in Brazil as a pundit for the2014 FIFA World Cup, his wife Nancy was held at knifepoint as a gang burgled their home whilst their children were upstairs.[130] He flew back to England but later returned to Brazil, where he served as a pundit onITV for thematch between Cameroon and Brazil.[131]
Shortly after his retirement from playing, Wright was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2000 New Year Honours for services to football.[2][132] This caused some surprise in view of Wright's poor disciplinary record.[133] On 21 April 2022, Wright was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.[134]
He was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2023 Birthday Honours for services to football and charity.[135][136]
He was made aFreeman of the City of London on 1 November 2023, in recognition of his sporting achievements.[137]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crystal Palace | 1985–86 | Second Division | 32 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 36 | 9 | |
| 1986–87 | Second Division | 38 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 44 | 10 | ||
| 1987–88 | Second Division | 41 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 46 | 23 | ||
| 1988–89 | Second Division | 42 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 9[d] | 8 | 54 | 33 | ||
| 1989–90 | First Division | 26 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 3[c] | 2 | 37 | 13 | ||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 38 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | — | 6[c] | 6 | 52 | 25 | ||
| 1991–92 | First Division | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 5 | |||||
| Total | 225 | 90 | 11 | 3 | 19 | 9 | — | 22 | 16 | 277 | 118 | |||
| Arsenal | 1991–92 | First Division | 30 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 26 | |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 31 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 5 | — | — | 46 | 30 | |||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 39 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6[e] | 4 | 1[f] | 1 | 53 | 35 | |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 31 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9[e] | 9 | 2[g] | 0 | 47 | 30 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 31 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | — | — | 40 | 23 | |||
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 35 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2[h] | 2 | — | 41 | 30 | ||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 24 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2[h] | 0 | — | 28 | 11 | ||
| Total | 221 | 128 | 16 | 12 | 29 | 29 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 288 | 185 | ||
| West Ham United | 1998–99 | Premier League | 22 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 9 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1[i] | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 22 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 9 | |||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 1999–2000 | First Division | 10 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 5 | ||||
| Celtic | 1999–2000 | Scottish Premier League | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 3 | |
| Burnley | 1999–2000 | Second Division | 15 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 501 | 239 | 29 | 15 | 51 | 38 | 20 | 15 | 25 | 17 | 626 | 324 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1991 | 4 | 0 |
| 1992 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 9 | 5 | |
| 1994 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 1993 | Silesian Stadium,Chorzów, Poland |  Poland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 17 November 1993 | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara,Bologna, Italy |  San Marino | 2–1 | 7–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 4–1 | |||||
| 4 | 6–1 | |||||
| 5 | 7–1 | |||||
| 6 | 24 May 1997 | Old Trafford,Manchester, England |  South Africa | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 4 June 1997 | Stade de la Beaujoire,Nantes, France |  Italy | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1997 Tournoi de France |
| 8 | 10 September 1997 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Moldova | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 4–0 |
Crystal Palace[2]
Arsenal[28]
Individual
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee/work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Royal Television Society Programme Awards | Best Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit | UEFA Euro 2024 | Nominated | [161] |
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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|---|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
