Match of the Day all the poorer for losing its best-loved pundit
Ian Wright endeared himself to viewers and colleagues with pinpoint analysis, sharp wit and a genuine warmth
Ian Wright was, in many ways, the perfect pundit for Match of the Day: insightful, but not arrogant. He was funny, delivering barbs to his colleagues with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on the corner of his lips.
But he was never trying to be a comedian; there were no preprepared gags or one-liners, it was instinctive, spontaneous and, most importantly of all, natural. The former Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England striker mastered the art of punditry without ever seeming to realise he had done it. Ian Wright, was well, Ian Wright. There was no act. He was never trying to be something or someone he was not. That is why we enjoyed watching him so much.
It is a measure of the esteem with which 60-year-old Wright is held within the game that there is such genuine sadness that he will no longer be working on Match of the Day.
While subscription television may have taken live Premier League football off its terrestrial competitors, Match of the Day remains the most popular, most loved football show of all. And “Wrighty”, who became a regular on the show in 2002, was its mostloved pundit.
By his own admission, Wright was an angry young man, using that emotion as fuel on the football pitch, but his skill as a pundit was his likeability. The emotions were never far from the surface when he spoke, but he was softer; more mellow.
As a pundit on Match of the Day, though, he combined knowledge, breaking down moments with pinpoint but easily understandable analysis, and with a sharp sense of humour. He projected warmth and a genuine love of the game.
He has a unique combination: insight and charm, his observations always delivered with a glint of mischief. His vernacular was that of the normal fan, no long words or fancy phrases. He talked like us and made the game easier to understand.
If he made it look effortless, that is because it was. This is who Wright has become, a wise old sage with a childish, infectious ability to tease those around him without ever provoking anger.
Not many people, if any, could call both Alan Shearer and his old rival and sparring partner Roy
His vernacular was that of the normal fan, no long words or fancy phrases. He talked like us
Keane friends. Those two still do not like each other, but they love Wright because he is genuine, funny and, for those who know him, one of the most generous and kind people in the game. He was a comfort blanket on our television screens.
He will continue with his media career, as a regular guest on Gary Neville’s Stick to Football, where he sits next to Keane and even goes round to his house for dinner – an honour most of his former teammates were never afforded.
Wright makes people around him feel at ease. They enjoy his company and that is what shone out of our screens and into our living rooms.
Telegraph Sport understands that Wright had been close to leaving Match of the Day two years ago, the demands on his time too much every Saturday, but he was persuaded to stay by Gary Lineker and Shearer. Such is his friendship with the two, he has a tattoo on his wrist showing his own shirt number (8) alongside those of Shearer (9) and Lineker (10).
“I’m going to miss you guys, I really am,” Wright said, trying not to burst into tears on his final show on Sunday. “This has been the greatest for me. Match of the Day means the whole world to me, you lot don’t even know. I’ve got my eight, nine, 10 [tattoo], my two guys who I love so much on there.”
Shearer shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the hard Geordie exterior melting as he came close to tears. When he and Lineker said they would miss him on Sunday, this was no luvvie moment. Both had privately been dreading his departure.
As Shearer said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure and a delight to work with you for so long. You’re a breath of fresh air and you always have been. Thank you.”
We had known this day was coming for some time, but not just Lineker and Shearer felt a lump in their throats saying goodbye to our companion, so did the rest of us.
He will be sorely missed, even if he will still be a regular contributor on other platforms.*