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 Wright-Phillips warming up forChelsea in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-10-25)25 October 1981 (age 44) | ||
| Place of birth | Greenwich, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ten-em-Bee F.C.[2] | |||
| Nottingham Forest | |||
| –1999 | Manchester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2005 | Manchester City | 153 | (26) |
| 2005–2008 | Chelsea | 82 | (4) |
| 2008–2011 | Manchester City | 64 | (9) |
| 2011–2015 | Queens Park Rangers | 67 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | New York Red Bulls | 21 | (1) |
| 2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 1 | (0) |
| 2017 | Phoenix Rising FC | 26 | (3) |
| Total | 413 | (44) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2002 | England U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2004–2010 | England | 36 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as awinger. He played in thePremier League andFootball League forManchester City,Chelsea andQueens Park Rangers, inMajor League Soccer for theNew York Red Bulls, in theUnited Soccer League for theNew York Red Bulls II andPhoenix Rising FC, and at senior international level for theEngland national team.
ANottingham Forest youth product, he spent 13 seasons playing in the Premier League during spells with Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers. In 2015, he joined Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls alongside his brother,Bradley. Wright-Phillips joined Phoenix Rising FC in 2017.
The England international scored six goals in 36 appearances for the national team, which included selection for the2010 FIFA World Cup.
Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips[3] was born on 25 October 1981[1] inGreenwich, Greater London.[4] He is the son of former England internationalIan Wright, who adopted him at the age of three.[5] His younger brother,Bradley Wright-Phillips, is also a professional footballer and the all-time top scorer for theNew York Red Bulls.[6] Wright-Phillips grew up inBrockley and attendedHaberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College inNew Cross Gate.[7] Wright-Phillips is of Trinidadian and Grenadian descent.[8]
Wright-Phillips was released byNottingham Forest aged 17 andManchester City took him toMaine Road.[9][10] He made his first-team debut as a substitute in the second leg of aLeague Cup match againstBurnley, replacingTerry Cooke.[11] His league debut came two months later atPort Vale. Brought on as substitute striker, he helped his team turn a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 win. His shot resulted in the first Manchester City goal, which Wright-Phillips attempted to claim, though the strike was later credited as an own goal instead.[12] He then started the next two matches in place ofPaul Dickov, who was absent through injury.[citation needed][13] Once Dickov recovered, Wright-Phillips returned to the reserves, making only one further first team appearance that season.[14][15] City finished second in theFirst Division, resulting in promotion to thePremier League for the2000–01 season.[citation needed]
Wright-Phillips featured more regularly than the previous season but was still not fully established in the first team, making 12 starts and seven substitute appearances playing in a variety of attacking positions.[16] Manchester City's stay in the Premier League was brief; at the end of the season they were relegated.[17]
Under Keegan, Wright-Phillips firmly established himself in the first team, not as a forward, but as a wing-back.[18] Keegan was known for playing attacking football, and decided to use the attacking Wright-Phillips in a traditionally defensive position due to his mobility and dribbling ability.[18] From 2000 to 2003, Wright-Phillips won Manchester City's Young Player of the Year award four times in succession,[19] surpassingSteve Kinsey's record of three times.[20]
On 17 November 2004, he became one of the main targets ofracist chants from sections of the Spanish crowd at an internationalfriendly between England andSpain in Madrid.[citation needed] However, he brushed that aside with his performance in his next Manchester City appearance atPortsmouth, saying to reporters after the match, "I just let the football do the talking".[citation needed] He also has a similar response regarding his father, saying in an interview with manchesteronline.co.uk: "The press brought up my adopted father's name. They relate to his name and that is fine by me – it comes with the name, but I will be my own man. I have made my own path and started to take my own steps.".[21] His son is also going through City's youth ranks at the moment.[22]
On 18 July 2005, Wright-Phillips completed a £21 million move to Premier League championsChelsea, returning to his native London. He joined the club on a five-year contract after agreeing to personal terms and passing a medical. He had previously said he would not leave Manchester City.[23] His appearances were initially limited, starting only 15 times for Chelsea in2005–06 and struggling to find scoring form.[citation needed] An inconsistent first season with Chelsea culminated in him missing out on the opportunity to travel to Germany with the England squad for the2006 FIFA World Cup.[citation needed]
Despite making few first-team appearances, Wright-Phillips maintained that he was happy at Chelsea and wanted to stay and fight for a first-team place.[citation needed] He received a boost from his managerJosé Mourinho, when the latter declined to make an approach forReal Betis wingerJoaquín, stating that he had enough options in terms of wingers.[citation needed] His first goal for the club came in a 2–0 Champions League win overLevski Sofia on 5 December 2006, in his 52nd match and almost 17 months after his transfer.[24]
As2006–07 progressed, Wright-Phillips picked up form and scored his first league goal againstWest Ham United on 18 April, following it up with his second in the same match.[25] Subsequently, he started in several matches towards the end of the season including the2007 FA Cup Final which Chelsea won.[26]
At the beginning of2007–08, Wright-Phillips maintained his starting place on the right wing.[citation needed] He also maintained his place after José Mourinho left Chelsea and under new coachAvram Grant.[citation needed] He was selected to play in the2008 League Cup Final, which Chelsea lost toTottenham Hotspur.[27] He only made another six appearances that season and failed to make the match day squad for the2008 UEFA Champions League Final.[citation needed] Having made 65 starting appearances for the club, with a further 60 as a substitute, Wright-Phillips had been unable to secure a regular place in the team under Grant and Mourinho.[citation needed] After falling out of favour with new managerLuiz Felipe Scolari, he was allowed to leave the club.[citation needed]
On 28 August 2008, he re-joined former club Manchester City on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £8.5 million.[28][29] On his second debut, Wright-Phillips scored two goals againstSunderland in the 3–0 away win in the Premier League.[30] His third goal for City came in a 6–0 victory over Portsmouth on 21 September 2008.[31] Wright-Phillips equalled his entire goalscoring record at Chelsea just over a month after returning to City.[citation needed] His right footed drive in the second half againstOmonia Nicosia on 2 October helped steer City through to the group stages of theUEFA Cup for the first time.[citation needed] On 29 October, Wright-Phillips swore at formerMiddlesbrough managerGareth Southgate during Manchester City's 2–0 defeat to his club, after Southgate complained about Wright-Phillips appearing to go down too easily after a challenge.[32]The Football Association warned Wright-Phillips about his future conduct.[citation needed]
The2009–10 season started very well for Wright-Phillips, setting upEmmanuel Adebayor's first goal for Man City in the third minute of a 2–0 win againstBlackburn Rovers.[33] He followed that up with a goal in a League Cup tie withCrystal Palace.[34] Three weeks later againstArsenal, he set up a goal for Adebayor before scoring one for himself.[35] He went on to score in successive home matches against Burnley andHull City where he delivered an assist forCarlos Tevez's debut Man City goal. During his next game against Arsenal he scored in a 3–0 League Cup win which saw City progress to the tournament's semi finals.[36][37][38] He found himself in-and-out of the team under managerRoberto Mancini, with new signingAdam Johnson's form forcing Wright-Phillips to be a substitute in most matches, including City's match at his former club Chelsea atStamford Bridge.[citation needed] He came off the bench to replace Johnson in the 60th minute and then set upCraig Bellamy's second goal in the 4–2 win.[citation needed] Despite his impact in the match, Wright-Phillips had not secured a place in the team.[citation needed] He started for City on the final match of the2009–10 Premier League against West Ham atUpton Park, where he scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw.[citation needed]
The2010–11 season saw Wright-Phillips only make seven league appearances, with the increased competition for places following the signings ofDavid Silva andYaya Touré resulting in him rarely being included in the club's matchday squad.[citation needed] City won the2010–11 FA Cup, and despite being left out of the squad for thefinal, he did contribute some appearances earlier in the cup run,[39] including coming on as a substitute againstManchester United in the semi-final.[40]
On 31 August 2011, the final day of the transfer window, Wright-Phillips signed forQueens Park Rangers (QPR) on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[41] He made his full debut for QPR againstNewcastle United on 12 September 2011, making the starting line-up and winning man of the match by supporters.[42] He failed to score a goal for almost a year before scoring his first the following season for QPR againstWalsall in the League Cup on 28 August 2012.[43] His only goal for QPR in the Premier League came during the derby against former club Chelsea on 2 January 2013, which ended 1–0.[44] Despite this, QPR would find themselves relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.[citation needed] QPR would return to the Premiership at the first time of asking, defeatingDerby County in the play-off finals, though Wright-Phillips would increasingly find his role throughout the season diminished to the occasional cameo from the subs bench and reserve outings.[citation needed] After featuring even more sporadically during2014–15, QPR announced that Wright-Phillips would be released from his contract in a batch of players that included fellow former England internationalsRio Ferdinand andJoey Barton.[45]
In June 2015, Wright-Phillips began training withMajor League Soccer club the New York Red Bulls to regain fitness following his departure from QPR.[46] Impressing head coach Jesse Marsch, he suggested he would sign for the club when his contract officially expired on 30 June.[47]
On 27 July, he completed a move to join his brother, Bradley Wright-Phillips, at the New York Red Bulls.[48] He made his debut on 1 August, coming off the bench to win a penalty and assist his brother in a 3–1 victory at the Philadelphia Union.[49] Wright-Phillips was named in the MLS Team of the Week following the performance.[50]
Wright-Phillips was released by the Red Bulls at the end of the2015 Major League Soccer season, but was later re-signed on 25 January 2016.[51][52]
On 23 February 2017, Wright-Phillips signed forUnited Soccer League clubPhoenix Rising FC.[53] He made his debut on 26 March 2017, in a 1–0 defeat toToronto FC II.[54]
Wright-Phillips announced his retirement from playing on 24 August 2019 at the age of 37.[55]
Wright-Phillips made hisEngland debut as a substitute forNicky Butt againstUkraine on 18 August 2004. He scored the last of England's goals in a 3–0 win, described byBBC Sport as "crowning a solo run with a stunning finish."[56] He was a regular member of England's squad duringqualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and made his first competitive start in a 1–0 away win overWales.[57] After a decline in form, however, especially a poor performance away toNorthern Ireland, and a lack of matches following his move to Chelsea, he missed out on a place in the squad for theWorld Cup finals.[58]
After a good start to the 2007–08 season, Wright-Phillips received an England recall to play againstGermany in a friendly match at the newWembley Stadium.[59] Wright-Phillips was brought on as a substitute in the second half during the match in which England lost 2–1 to Germany and he was named the England sponsor's man of the match after an impressive performance.
On 8 September 2007, Wright-Phillips was selected to start againstIsrael in aUEFA Euro 2008 qualifier he scored the first goal in the 3–0 victory and won the England sponsor's man of the match award with his performance.[citation needed] He was then selected to start for England againstEstonia and scored his third goal for England and the opener in a third consecutive 3–0 win at Wembley.[60] He was selected in England's critical Euro 2008 qualifying match againstCroatia, substituted at half time in favour ofDavid Beckham with England trailing 2–0, with England eventually losing 3–2 and therefore missing out on Euro 2008.[61]
On 14 October 2009, with England having already qualified for the 2010 World Cup, Wright-Phillips was selected in the starting XI againstBelarus at Wembley Stadium."[62] Unusually, he was joined in the team (which was missingWayne Rooney through injury) by Tottenham Hotspur'sAaron Lennon, meaning England played with two recognised wingers. Mid-way through the second half, Wright-Phillips drove in a shot from the edge of the penalty area which beat the dive of the Belarus goalkeeper. He appeared as a second-half substitute againstEgypt on 3 March 2010, scoring England's second goal and assistingPeter Crouch for the third as they came from behind to win 3–1.[63]
On 1 June 2010, Wright-Phillips was selected for England's final 23-man squad that was to play in the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[64] He appeared as a substitute in England's opening twogroup matches againstUnited States andAlgeria.[65][66]
Wright-Phillips has a son,D'Margio Wright-Phillips, who plays for Belgian clubBeerschot.[67] He is also capped forEngland U16s.[68]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester City | 1999–2000[69] | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01[70] | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02[71] | First Division | 35 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 8 | |||
| 2002–03[72] | Premier League | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2003–04[73] | Premier League | 34 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6[c] | 1 | — | 46 | 11 | ||
| 2004–05[74] | Premier League | 34 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 11 | |||
| Total | 153 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | 181 | 31 | |||
| Chelsea | 2005–06[75] | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| 2006–07[76] | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6[d] | 1 | 1[e] | 0 | 44 | 6 | |
| 2007–08[77] | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 41 | 4 | |
| 2008–09[78] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 82 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 125 | 10 | ||
| Manchester City | 2008–09[78] | Premier League | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[c] | 3 | — | 37 | 8 | |
| 2009–10[79] | Premier League | 30 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 38 | 7 | |||
| 2010–11[39] | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[f] | 1 | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12[80] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 16 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 2011–12[80] | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13[81] | Premier League | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 2 | |||
| 2013–14[82] | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15[83] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 67 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 74 | 2 | |||
| New York Red Bulls | 2015[84] | Major League Soccer | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||||
| 2016[84] | Major League Soccer | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[g] | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | ||||
| New York Red Bulls II | 2016[84] | United Soccer League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Phoenix Rising FC | 2017[84] | United Soccer League | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 413 | 44 | 34 | 6 | 32 | 7 | 44 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 527 | 63 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2004 | 3 | 1 |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 36 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 August 2004 | St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England | 1 |  Ukraine | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [86] |
| 2 | 8 September 2007 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 14 |  Israel | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | [87] |
| 3 | 13 October 2007 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 16 |  Estonia | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | [88] |
| 4 | 6 February 2008 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 19 |  Switzerland | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | [89] |
| 5 | 14 October 2009 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 28 |  Belarus | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [90] |
| 6 | 3 March 2010 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 30 |  Egypt | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | [91] |
Manchester City
Chelsea
Individual
