Wright Richard
Richard Ian Wright is an English retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Ipswich, he joined Ipswich Town as a trainee, going on to play for the club 298 times between 1995 and 2001. He then moved to Premier League club Arsenal, before being signed by Everton in 2002, where he spent five years. A brief spell on loan from West Ham United with Southampton was followed by a transfer back to Ipswich Town. After a short spell at Sheffield United, a third stint at Ipswich and a brief time at Preston North End, he joined Premier League champions Manchester City on a free transfer in 2012. After four years at City, during which he did not play at all, he announced his retirement in May 2016.He was a member of the England squad, earning two caps, and was included in their squad for UEFA Euro 2000.
Things to Know:
Wright joined Arsenal on 5 July 2001 for £2 million. He signed a five-year contract. Manager Arsène Wenger envisaged him as a long-term successor to David Seaman and also as a more experienced competitor for the previous second-choice goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who soon left the club. Wright made his debut against Derby County on 29 September, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win at Pride Park which put his team on the summit of the table. On his UEFA Champions League debut against Panathinaikos he saved an Angelos Basinas penalty to help his side win 2-1. Despite an injury to Seaman which gave him an extended run in the team, he did not capitalise on the opportunity, punching the ball into his own net in a 4–2 home defeat to Charlton Athletic on 4 November when trying to clear from Paul Konchesky. Seventeen days later, he was substituted at half time with injury in a UEFA Champions League match away to Deportivo de La Coruña, being replaced by youth goalkeeper Stuart Taylor in the 2–0 defeat. He slipped to third choice behind Taylor and played mostly FA Cup matches for the remainder of the season, although Seaman replaced him for the final, which Arsenal won 2–0 against Chelsea. He made his last Arsenal appearance on the final day of the 2001–02 season, a 4–3 victory over Everton. He ended the season with 12 league appearances, meaning he was eligible for a winners’ medal. Wright made 22 appearances for Arsenal in total.