Ian Wright was ‘devastated when I went to Arsenal’ – ‘I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much’
“I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as when I went to Arsenal in 91/92,” Ian Wright has revealed, looking back on his England snub for the 1992 European Championships.
Wright is considered to be one of the best strikers in Arsenal history, scoring 168 goals in 270 games for the Gunners, but his international career was a frustrating one.
Speaking on The Overlap, Wright recalled his “devastation” at being left out of Graham Taylor’s England squad for the 1992 Euros in Sweden having been told that moving to a big club like Arsenal would improve his chances.
Wright said: “One of the worst I’ve ever felt – and I don’t think I’ve cried as much – was when I went to Arsenal in 91/92.
“Everyone was saying when you go to a big club, if you do well, you’ll get in the England squad. I went to Arsenal, I won the Golden Boot, and he [Graham Taylor] never even took me to the Euros in Sweden. I was devastated.
“It was Gary Lineker’s last one, Alan Shearer and Alan Smith – it’s something that I think back at and feel like I’ve been robbed of something because I was flying at the time. Those are the reasons why I always felt like I was angry throughout my career because I always felt like I had to prove it because I wasn’t going to get the recognition I deserved.”
England finished rock bottom of a group featuring France, Denmark and Sweden in the absence of Wright, who went on to score nine goals in 33 appearances for England, but never represented his country at a major tournament.
“[I was angry as a player because] I felt like I didn’t get respect,” Wright added. “Nationally – not the players, the players were fine – but the way the press would document me, it was always negative.
“In games that I was doing well, they would always go back to the negative thing of what I may have done. I always found the reason why I might have been so angry was I didn’t feel I was getting any kind of credit or recognition.”
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