fullname	Samir Nasri
birth date	June 26, 1987
birth place	Marseille, France
height
currentclub	Manchester City
clubnumber	19
position	Attacking midfielder Winger
youthyears1	1995–1997
youthyears2	1997–2004
youthclubs1	Pennes Mirabeau
youthclubs2	Marseille
years1	2004–2008
years2	2008–2011
years3	2011–
clubs1	Marseille
clubs2	Arsenal
clubs3	Manchester City
caps1	121
caps2	86
caps3	28
goals1	11
goals2	18
goals3	5
nationalyears1	2002–2003
nationalyears2	2003–2004
nationalyears3	2004–2005
nationalyears4	2005–2006
nationalyears5	2006–2007
nationalyears6	2007–
nationalteam1	France U16
nationalteam2	France U17
nationalteam3	France U18
nationalteam4	France U19
nationalteam5	France U21
nationalteam6	France
nationalcaps1	16
nationalcaps2	16
nationalcaps3	4
nationalcaps4	10
nationalcaps5	4
nationalcaps6	28
nationalgoals1	8
nationalgoals2	6
nationalgoals3	0
nationalgoals4	5
nationalgoals5	0
nationalgoals6	3
pcupdate	17:48, 22 April 2012 (UTC)
ntupdate	21:30, 21 March 2012 (UTC) }}

Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French international footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical ability, creativity, pace, and ability to read the game. Of Algerian heritage, he is described as a player whose "vision and imagination make him an unpredictable opponent". His playing style, ability, and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane.

Nasri began his football career playing for local youth clubs in his hometown of Marseille. At the age of nine, he joined professional club Olympique de Marseille and spent the next seven years developing in the club's youth academy at La Commanderie, the club's training center. In the 2004–05 season, Nasri made his professional debut in September 2004 at the age of 17 against Sochaux. In the following season, he became a regular starter in the team and also participated in European competition for the first time after playing in the 2005–06 edition of the UEFA Cup. In the 2006–07 campaign, Nasri won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award and was also named to the Team of the Year. He finished his career with Marseille amassing over 160 appearances. He played in the teams that reached back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 2006 and 2007. In June 2008, Nasri joined Premier League club Arsenal agreeing to a four-year contract. He reached prominence with the team in his third season winning the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Fans' Player of the Month award on three occasions and being named to the association's Team of the Year. In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year. In August 2011, after three seasons with Arsenal, Nasri joined Manchester City on a four-year contract.

Samir Nasri is a former French youth international and has represented his nation at every level for which he was eligible. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played in the under-17 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. Nasri made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria. Two months later, he netted his first senior international goal in a 1–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying win over Georgia. Nasri has represented France at one major international tournament: UEFA Euro 2008.

Personal life

Nasri was born in the town of La Gavotte Peyret in Septèmes-les-Vallons, a northern suburb of the city of Marseille, to French nationals of Algerian descent. His mother, Ouassila Ben Saïd, and father, Hamid Nasri, were both born in France; his father being born and raised in Marseille, while his mother being from nearby Salon-de-Provence. Nasri's grandparents emigrated to France from Algeria. His mother is a housewife and his father previously worked as a bus driver before becoming his son's personal manager. At the start of his football career, Nasri initially played under his mother's surname, Ben Saïd, before switching to Nasri, his father's surname, following his selection to the France under-16 team. He is the eldest of four children and is a non-practising Muslim. Nasri has a younger sister named Sonia and twin brothers named Walid and Malik. All four were raised in La Gavotte Peyret. After joining Arsenal in England, Nasri settled in Hampstead, a district of North London. He is currently in a relationship with tennis player Tatiana Golovin.

Club career

Early career

While growing up in La Gavotte Peyret, Nasri grew an attraction to the sport of football at a young age. He regularly played the sport on the streets where he learned many of his skills. Upon noticing his prodigious talent, his parents signed him up to play with the local club in his hometown. Nasri spent one year playing with the club in La Gavotte Peyret before moving to Pennes Mirabeau in nearby Mirabeau at the age of seven. While playing with Pennes, Nasri was discovered by Marseille scout Freddy Assolen who had been informed of the player's talent through local word of mouth. After noticing Nasri's skill in person, Assolen recruited the player to travel with a group of other young players to Italy to participate in a youth tournament where they would play against the youth academies of Milan and Juventus. Nasri impressed at the tournament and Assolen was jokingly told by a Milan scout that "he (Nasri) stays here, you leave him". After returning to France, Marseille officials organized a meeting with the player's father and the group agreed to allow Nasri insertion into the club's academy at the age of nine.

Marseille

Upon entering the Marseille youth academy, Nasri quickly impressed. Upon moving to Bastide, where the club's youth players reside, his style of play began to take shape. In 2007, Nasri admitted that the move to Bastide really helped his game stating, "That’s where I really started to progress. Training was different and the facilities are beautiful, all of which helps you work well." As a result of his quick progression, Nasri was an integral part of every youth team he was a part of winning several trophies, such as the Championnat de Provence, Coupe de Provence, and the Ligue de la Méditerranée. After spending most of the 2003–04 season playing with the club's under-18 team, for the latter part of the season, the now 16-year old Nasri was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. He appeared primarily as a substitute in a few matches during the campaign as the reserve team failed to rebound from its bad start to the season, which resulted in a 16th place finish and relegation to the Championnat de France amateur 2.

Debut season

Ahead of the 2004–05 season, several clubs were reported to be interested in signing Nasri, most notably English clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle. In an effort to decrease the speculation, Nasri was offered a three-year professional contract by Marseille officials led by president Pape Diouf and manager José Anigo. On 13 August 2004, Nasri agreed to the contract. Marseille officials had been eager to sign Nasri to a contract in an attempt to not undergo a situation similar to the departure of Mathieu Flamini, in which the player departed the club without Marseille receiving any compensation. As a result of his professsional contract, Nasri was promoted to the senior team by Anigo and assigned the number 22 shirt. He began the season playing on the club's reserve team and appeared in four matches before earning a call up to the senior team in September 2004. Nasri made his professional debut on 12 September in a 2–0 league defeat to Sochaux appearing as a substitute for Bruno Cheyrou. On 17 October, he made his first professional start playing the entire match in a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne. Nasri featured heavily within the team under Anigo and later Philippe Troussier. In the team's first match following the winter break, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 away victory over Lille. Nasri finished his rookie campaign with 25 total appearances, one goal, and two assists.

2005–06 season

The 2005–06 season saw Marseille boosted by the arrival of attackers Franck Ribéry and Djibril Cissé; the latter arriving after having a successful loan stint with the club the previous season. Nasri, who was now given a more prominent role within the team by new manager Jean Fernandez, formed impressive partnerships with the two along with lead striker Mamadou Niang. He appeared in 49 total matches, which included appearances in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Nasri made his European debut on 16 July 2005 in the first round of the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup against Swiss club BSC Young Boys. Marseille won the first leg 3–2. In the second leg, Nasri scored his first European goal in a 2–1 win. Marseille ultimately won the competition after beating Spanish outfit Deportivo de La Coruña 5–3 on aggregate. In the league, Nasri appeared in 30 matches, 25 as a starter. He scored his only league goal of the season on 29 April 2007 in a 4–2 win over Sochaux. In the Coupe de France, Nasri appeared in five matches as Marseille reached the final of the competition where the club faced ''Le Classique'' rivals Paris Saint-Germain. Nasri appeared as a substitute in the match as Marseille were defeated 2–1. Following the season, Nasri signed a two-year contract extension with the club until 2009.

2006–07 season

Nasri began the 2006–07 season playing under Albert Emon, his fourth different manager in three years. Despite this, Marseille's now heightened popularity saw increased speculation from writers and supporters that the club would finally win its first league title since the 1991–92 season. Nasri began the season on a quick note scoring the second goal in the team's 3–1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in September 2006. On 29 April 2007, Nasri scored a goal in Marseille's 4–2 hammering of Sochaux. Marseille were due to face the same club in the 2007 Coupe de France Final just days later and were, subsequently, heavy favorites as a result of the team's two-goal victory in the previous match. However, Sochaux recorded an upset victory defeating Marseille 5–4 on penalties after the match ended 2–2 following extra time. On the final match day of the season, Nasri converted the only goal in a 1–0 win over Sedan. The victory secured 2nd place for Marseille and was the club's best finish since finishing runner-up to Bordeaux in the 1998–99 season. Nasri finished the season with a career-high 50 appearances, 37 of them in the league. For his efforts, he was awarded the UNFP Young Player of the Year award and named to the Team of the Year. Nasri was also voted the Club Player of the Year by supporters, receiving 62% of the votes ahead of the likes of Ribéry and Niang.

2007–08 season

Similar to his previous three years at Marseille, Nasri began the new season under new management as the club was now being led by the Belgian Eric Gerets. Due to the departure of Ribéry to Bayern Munich, Gerets installed Nasri as the focal point of the attack and he responding by having his best season at the club. He appeared in 42 total matches scoring a career-high six goals and also assisting on a career-high 15 goals. Nasri formed partnerships in the midfield with winger Mathieu Valbuena and midfielders Lorik Cana and Benoît Cheyrou as Marseille boasted the third-best attack in the league behind champions Lyon and Bordeaux, who finished 1st and 2nd in the league, respectively. Nasri, initially, struggled during the infancy of the campaign due to dealing with the effects of a severely sprained ankle suffered in the pre-season. He failed to score a goal or provide an assist in the team's first eight league matches. On 24 November 2007, he assisted on two goals in a 2–0 victory over Metz. Nasri closed out the fall season by assisting on the equalizing goal in a 2–2 draw with Bordeaux and making the final pass on the game-winning goal against Le Mans.

Following the winter break, Nasri's goal-scoring began to take form. In late January, he scored goals in back-to-back matches against Nancy and Caen. In European competition, Nasri participated in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in his career, however he failed to make an impact in the four group stage matches he appeared in. He missed the club's upset victory over Liverpool at Anfield due to dealing with a bout of meningitis. Marseille ultimately finished the group in third place, which resulted in the team qualifying for the Round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. The club was defeated in the Round of 16 by Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg despite being up 3–1 heading into the second leg. Of those three goals Marseille scored in the first leg, Nasri assisted on two of them. On 16 March 2008, Nasri scored a goal in a 3–3 draw with Lens. A month later, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Metz. In his final match with Marseille against Strasbourg, Nasri scored a goal and assisted on another in a 4–3 victory. Marseille finished the league campaign in 3rd place, which resulted in the club qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season. On 8 May 2008, with all the transfer speculation surrounding the player, Nasri surprised many by signing a three-year contract extension with the club until 2012.

Arsenal

2008–09 season

}}

A week later, despite signing a contract extension with Marseille, Nasri was linked with a move to Premier League club Arsenal. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger had been tracking Nasri since watching him play at the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. It was later revealed that the contract extension Nasri signed with Marseille was simply protocol to allow Marseille to get a higher transfer fee for the player. The Bouches-du-Rhône-based club was seeking £14 million for the young midfielder. Ahead of UEFA Euro 2008, both Nasri's agent and Wenger admitted that offers were made for the player and that a move to the English club was imminent. The deal was ultimately concluded following the competition on 11 July 2008 with Nasri agreeing to a four-year contract. The transfer fee was undisclosed, but has been purported to be in the region of £12 million. Upon arriving to the club, Nasri admitted that Wenger was one of the primary reasons for him joining the club stating "The fact that Arsène Wenger gives great opportunities to young players is very important for me. Arsène has a great reputation and he is one of the best managers in the world".

Nasri was given the number 8 shirt and made his club debut on 30 July 2008 in a friendly match against German club VfB Stuttgart in a 3–1 win. He made his Premier League debut in the team's first game of the season on 16 August 2008 against West Bromwich Albion. In the match, Nasri scored his first league goal scoring with a close range effort, after four minutes in a 1–0 victory. As a result of his debut goal, he became the 83rd player in Premier League history to score on his league debut and the 22nd Arsenal player. On 27 August, Nasri scored his second goal for the club in the team's 2008–09 UEFA Champions League third round qualifying second leg tie against Dutch club Twente. Arsenal won the match 4–0 and the tie 6–0 on aggregate. After dealing with injuries for the most of September, Nasri return to form in October scoring his third goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Everton. On 8 November, Nasri scored both of Arsenal's goals in a 2–1 win over Manchester United.

Following his performance against Manchester United, Nasri struggled to make an impact with the team statistics-wise failing to score a goal or provide an assist in the team's next four matches. On 21 December, he assisted on the opening goal scored by Robin van Persie in the team's 1–1 draw with Liverpool. Nasri returned to his scoring form in the new year. On 17 January 2009, he scored the second goal in the club's 3–1 win over Hull City at the KC Stadium. It took Nasri another two months to score another goal, which came in Arsenal's 3–1 away win against Newcastle United. He finished his first campaign at Arsenal appearing in 44 matches, scoring seven goals, and providing five assists.

2009–10 season

On 21 July 2009, while participating in a training match during pre-season with Arsenal in Bad Waltersdorf, Nasri suffered a broken leg. The injury required two to three months of rest and, as a result, Nasri missed the opening of the 2009–10 Premier League season. He made his debut late in the campaign on 25 October 2009 in a Football League Cup tie against Liverpool. Nasri played the entire match in a 2–1 win. On 4 November, he scored his first goal of the season in the team's Champions League group stage match against Dutch outfit AZ. Three weeks later, Nasri converted another Champions League goal, this time against Belgium club Standard Liège in a 2–0 win. He featured heavily with the team during the winter months and he ended the 2009 calendar year by scoring a goal and providing an assist 4–1 win over Portsmouth away at Fratton Park.

After going nearly two months without scoring a goal, Nasri marked his goal-scoring return in emphatic fashion in the team's 5–0 second leg victory over Portuguese club Porto in the Round of 16 of the Champions League knockout stage. The goal, described by English newspaper ''The Guardian'' columnist David Lacey as "reminiscent of a lost art in British football", showcased Nasri's dribbling, as well as his individuality. Upon receiving the ball on the right wing from midfielder Abou Diaby, Nasri dribbled through and past three Porto players in a small area of space before bringing the ball past wingback Álvaro Pereira and driving it across the goalkeeper, sending the ball in off the far post. Nasri goal was subsequently compared by the English media to similar goals that occurred in the country. Three weeks later, after appearing as a substitute in the second half, Nasri scored the opening goal against Birmingham City. Birmingham later equalized through a late goal from Kevin Phillips. The draw ended a string of seven consecutive league victories for Arsenal and Wenger admitted that the draw "was a big blow for our chances (of winning the league)". In the team's final seven league matches, Nasri failed to contribute goals to the team, but did assisted on goals in a 3–2 loss to Wigan and a 4–0 home win over Fulham. Arsenal ultimately finished the campaign in 3rd place. Nasri concluded his second season at Arsenal appearing 34 games scoring five goals and issuing the same amount of assists.

Breakthrough season

Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Nasri admitted that he was determined to re-capture his form that resulted in Arsenal signing him two years prior. He also admitted that he did not take missing out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup well stating "When I discovered that I wasn't part of the squad for the World Cup, I got a big slap in the face." However, after speaking to Wenger, who informed him that he should used the non-callup as motivation, he was reassured. Nasri started the campaign well. He was named in Arsenal's starting line-up to play against Liverpool for the first match of the season on 15 August 2010. Nasri played the entire match in a 1–1 draw. After the match, Arsenal confirmed that Nasri had suffered a knee injury that would keep him out for a month. However, the player returned to the team after just three matches helping Arsenal defeat Portuguese outfit Sporting Braga 6–0 in the Champions League on his return. On 21 September, Nasri scored a double in the club's 4–1 extra time victory over North London derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Both goals were converted from the penalty spot. Fours days later, Nasri scored another double in a 3–2 home defeat to West Brom.

Nasri continued his fine form as season wore on. In the club's Champions League group stage tie against Serbian club FK Partizan, he assisted on a Sébastien Squillaci goal in the team's 3–1 victory. In October 2010, Nasri went on a streak, in which he scored goals in three straight matches. He started the streak by converting a penalty in a 2–1 win over Birmingham City. In the club's following match against Ukrainian competitors Shakhtar Donetsk, Nasri scored on a left-footed volley in a 5–1 victory. He also assisted on a goal in the match. Against Manchester City five days later, he scored the first goal and set up the third in a 3–0 victory. As a result of his performances in October 2010, Nasri was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Month. In November, Nasri was on the score-sheet again netting the opener in a 3–2 defeat to Tottenham. A week later, he scored a volley in a 4–2 win over Aston Villa.

On 4 December, Nasri scored two goals against Fulham to give Arsenal a 2–1 win. The victory placed Arsenal at the top of the league table. The two goals were Nasri's seventh and eighth goals, respectively, in the league and his tenth and 11th overall. Just four days later, Nasri scored a goal in Arsenal's vital last group game against Partizan. Arsenal won the match 3–1. On 13 December, for his performances during the 2010 calendar year, Nasri was named the France Football French Player of the Year beating out Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda and Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. He is the first Arsenal player to achieve the honour since Thierry Henry in 2006. Nasri was also rewarded domestically for his performances in December winning the Fans' Player of the Month for the second time in the season and, also, capturing the club's monthly award. He won the award for the second consecutive month in January.

Nasri scored his 13th goal of the season in the 3–0 win against Birmingham City on New Year's Day 2011. In the FA Cup, Nasri scored his first-ever goal in the competition in a 3–1 win over Leeds United in the third round. On 30 January 2011, Nasri was forced to leave the team's fourth round FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town due to a hamstring injury. He, subsequently, missed two weeks and returned to the team ahead of its Champions League knockout round tie with Spanish champions Barcelona. In the first leg, Nasri assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Andrei Arshavin. Arsenal won the match 2–1, but loss the tie 4–3 on aggregate after suffering a 3–1 defeat at the Nou Camp in the second leg. On 8 April, Nasri was nominated for both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards. He lost out on both awards to Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale and teammate Jack Wilshere, respectively, but was given consolation with an appearance on the association's Team of the Year. On 20 April 2011, Nasri scored his 15th goal of the season with a powerful shot outside the penalty area against Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City

On 24 August 2011, it was confirmed that Nasri had joined Premier League club Manchester City. The transfer fee was priced in the region of £25 million and the player signed a four-year contract. Nasri was assigned the number 19 shirt and made his club debut on 28 August in a league fixture away to Tottenham Hotspur. In the match, he assisted on three goals as Manchester City cruised to a 5–1 win. In the team's next match following the September international break, Nasri assisted on one of Sergio Agüero's three goals in a 3–0 win over Wigan Athletic. On 1 October, he scored his first goal for the club netting the third goal in a 4–0 victory. Nasri also assisted on two goals in the match. After nearly two months without a league goal, on 3 December, Nasri scored his second goal for Manchester City converting a free kick in a 5–1 win against Norwich City. In the following month, Nasri scored his third goal for the club in a 3–2 win against Tottenham Hotspur. On 21 March, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win over Chelsea after receiving a through ball from teammate Carlos Tévez. On 22 April, he scored in a 2–0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

International career

Youth

Nasri has earned caps with all of France's youth teams for which he was eligible. He is a member of the group, commonly known as the ''Génération 1987'', that produced current internationals Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, and Jérémy Menez, alongside himself. With the under-16 team, Nasri made 16 appearances scoring eight goals. Of the four players, Nasri was the first player to become a regular starter in the team under coach François Blaquart and made his debut in the team's opening match of the campaign against Spain. France won the match 3–0. Nasri scored his first goal for the team on 29 October in its first group stage match against Sweden at the ''Tournio du Val-de-Marne''. On 11 December, Nasri scored the opening goal in the team's 6–1 exhibition thrashing of Greece. At the 2003 Aegean Cup in Turkey, he scored two goals in four matches as France finished the competition in third place. Nasri scored in the team's second group stage match against Israel, a 3–1 win. In the next group stage match, he scored a goal in 5–0 win over the Ukraine. In the third place match against Belgium, Nasri assisted on a goal scored by Ben Arfa. At the Tournio de Montaigu, Nasri scored his only goal in the team's 8–0 win over Gabon in the team's opening group match. France finished the competition runner-up to Italy who defeated France 5–1 in the final match.

At under-17 level, Nasri, Menez, and Ben Arfa were joined by Karim Benzema and tasked with the goal of winning the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship on home soil. Nasri made his debut with the team in the opening match of the season against Sweden netting a goal in a 5–2 victory. In the team's second straight yearly appearance at the ''Tournio du Val-de-Marne'', Nasri scored his lone goal in the competition against the United States in a 2–0 win as France were declared champions without conceding a goal. At the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Nasri contributed to the team by scoring the equalizing goal against Portugal in the competition's semi-finals. France went on to win the match 3–1 to earn a place in the final. In the final match, France faced Spain. In the match, Nasri scored the game-winning goal just a minute from time to give France its first-ever title in the competition. In total with the under-17s, he made 16 appearances and scored six goals. Due to increased playing time at his parent club Marseille, Nasri stint with the under-18 team was uneventful appearing in only four matches.

The foursome of Nasri, Ben Arfa, Benzema, and Menez returned to international play together for under-19 duty. The four were joined by Issiar Dia, Blaise Matuidi, and Serge Gakpé with the objective of winning the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. The team opened the campaign with two friendly matches against Norway. Over the course of the two matches, Nasri scored two goals: one in a 4–0 win and another in a 5–0 victory. In the first round of qualification for the tournament, Nasri assisted on two goals in the team's 3–1 win over Wales. In the team's next group stage match against San Marino, he scored the third goal in a 3–0 victory. In the final group match against Austria, Nasri scored the opening goal and provided the assist on a Benzema goal in a 2–0 win. In the final round of qualification, Nasri went scoreless. However, despite finishing the round undefeated, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by Scotland. Nasri earned his first call up to the under-21 team under coach René Girard in the team's first match following the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship against Belgium. He started the match and was replaced at half-time by Florent Sinama Pongolle. He featured in qualification matches for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and appeared as a substitute in both legs of the team's surprising defeat to Israel in the qualifying playoffs. Despite still being eligible to represent the team until 2009, his appearance in the second leg defeat to Israel was Nasri's last with the team.

Senior

On 15 March 2007, Nasri was called up to the senior team for the first time by coach Raymond Domenech for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Lithuania and a friendly against Austria. Nasri admitted that he was "very happy and very proud" to be called into the national team and revealed that the fact that he was called up for an important European championship qualifier made the selection more rewarding. He appeared on the bench in the match against Lithuania, but failed to make an appearance. Nasri made his international debut on 28 March against Austria at the age of 19. He started the match and assisted on the only goal after delivering a free kick low into the box that youth international teammate Benzema converted. On 16 November, Nasri scored his second international goal in a friendly match against Morocco. As a result of his performances domestically and with the national team, he was named to the 23-man squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2008. Nasri made his debut in the tournament on 9 June 2008 in the team's opening group stage match against Romania appearing as a substitute. He did not appear in the team's 4–1 loss to the Netherlands, but did appear in the team's final group stage match against Italy. Nasri appeared as a substitute for the injured Franck Ribéry in the tenth minute. Following defender's Éric Abidal's red card in the 24th minute, Nasri was taken out of the match in order for defender Jean-Alain Boumsong to take Abidal's spot in the lineup.

}}

In November 2008, Nasri, among several other young players in the team, was accused of being insolent during the team's campaign at the European Championship. The accusation came from domestic teammate William Gallas who inserted the charge in his autobiography. Though the accused was unnamed in the book, following its release, the player became widely identified as Nasri. Gallas used an example of Nasri's insolence for when the young player sat in Thierry Henry's seat on the team bus and refused to move, which, according to Gallas, was undermining the striker's seniority. The incident ultimately led to a verbal exchange between Nasri and Gallas during a training session. In response, Nasri played down the incident stating that Gallas was overreacting to a problem that did not exist. In 2010, after failing to make the World Cup squad, he opened up about the situation stating that during Gallas' final year at Arsenal, he is one of "four or five" Arsenal players who did not speak to the defender. The feud culminated on 20 November 2010 when Nasri lived up to a pledge that he would not shake the hand of Gallas, who was now playing for Tottenham, during the pre-match festivities.

In the 2008–09 season, Nasri appeared in only three matches with the national team. After playing against Lithuania on 28 March 2009, the midfielder failed to represent France for the almost a year and a half. During the 2009–10 season, after constant failed selections, Nasri grew weary of his chances of appearing with the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the end, he didn't appear with the team failing to make the 23-man squad or even the preliminary squad. Nasri admitted that he took the non-call up hard recalling "Not being one of those 23 names, it was difficult." The player also viewed the non-invite from a positive perspective stating "But maybe it was for the best in the end, and not just because France had a horrible World Cup. It helped me as a person. I told myself I need to work harder, to make sure I don’t miss the next one."

Nasri returned to the national team under the reign of new coach Laurent Blanc for the team's friendly against Norway on 11 August 2010. He missed the September call ups due to injury before returning to the team in October for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Romania and Luxembourg. On 25 March 2011, Nasri captained the national team for the first time in its 2–0 Euro qualification win over Luxembourg. He provided the assist on the opening goal scored by Philippe Mexès. In the team's final Euro qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nasri scored the equalizing goal converting a penalty shot in a 1–1 draw. The stalemate qualified France for UEFA Euro 2012.

Style of play

In his early years at Marseille, Nasri was deployed in several positions, most notably as a deep-lying midfielder and a wide midfielder primarily on the right side as he was deemed too small to play in the middle of the park. After two years of developing his physical traits, in the 2006–07 season, manager Albert Emon inserted Nasri into the playmaker role, where his vision, technical skill, and ability to read and understand the game suited him. Since that season, Nasri has been primarily deployed in the position or as a central attacking midfielder at both club and international level. The player has personally admitted that playing centrally is his preference. However, as a result of his versatility, Nasri can also function on the wing and spent the majority of his career at Arsenal occupying the role in the team's 4–3–3 formation. His close control with the ball, speed, dribbling, crossing, and ability to use both feet suits the position well, which has resulted in former manager Arsène Wenger utilizing Nasri in the role during the player's four-year stay at the club. Nasri often featured centrally for Arsenal in the absence of former club captain Cesc Fàbregas.

In 2009, in order to accommodate the arrival of Russian attacker Andrei Arshavin, it was recommended by both Wenger and former national team coach Raymond Domenech that Nasri revert back to his role as a deep-lying midfielder so the player could showcase his underrated defensive abilities. Nasri is also an underrated direct free kick and penalty kick taker. The player had previously developed a superstition with regards to taking spot kicks, but conquered the issue after successfully converting two penalties in the team's Carling Cup victory over Tottenham in 2010. Wenger describes Nasri as a "young, quick and technically outstanding player". He is described in a similar fashion by club scout Gilles Grimandi who states that Nasri is "a fantastic athlete, he's quick, flexible and good with his feet". Nasri's playing style, ability, and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane. After joining Arsenal and excelling on the wing, the English media began comparing him to former club player and compatriot Robert Pirès. Nasri has often attempted to disassociate himself from the two players, particularly the former player stating "There's only one Zidane, just as there was only one Platini".

Career statistics

Club

1 1 3 6 2 2 10 0 9

Club	Season	League	Cup	!colspan="3"	Total
	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists
rowspan="4"	Marseille		24	|	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	25	1	2
Ligue 1 2005–06	2005–06	30	|	2	5	0	0	14	1	1	49	2	3
Ligue 1 2006–07	2006–07	37	|	6	7	0	1	6	0	0	50	3	7
Ligue 1 2007–08	2007–08	30	|	10	4	0	2	8	0	3	42	6	15
colspan="2">Total
rowspan="4"	Arsenal		29	6	|	5	0	3	10	1	0	44	7	5
Premier League 2009-10	2009–10	26	|	5	2	0	1	6	3	0	34	5	6
2010–11 Premier League	2010–11	30	|	1	8	3	1	8	2	3	46	15	5
2011–12 Premier League	2011–12	1	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
colspan="2">Total	!86!!18!!8!!15!!3!!5!!24!!6!!3!!125!!27!!16
rowspan="1"	Manchester City		29	5	|	5	1	0	9	0	0	43	6	9
Total		!29!!5!!9!!5!!1!!0!!9!!0!!0!!43!!6!!9
Career Total	!236!!34!!37!!37!!4!!8!!61!!7!!7!!334!!45!!52

International

9 3 0 7 6

National team!!Season!!Apps!!Goals !! Assists
rowspan="6"	France	2006–07	3	1
2007–08	|	1	1
2008–09	|	0	0
2009–10 in French football	2009–10	|	0	0
2010–11 in French football	2010–11	|	0	1
2011–12 in French football	2011–12	|	1	1
colspan=2	Total!!28!!3	4

International goals

Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps, Auxerre, France 16 November 2007 11 October 2011

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1	6 June 2007	|		1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2	|	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France		2–1	2–2	Exhibition game>Friendly
3	|	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France		1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours

Club

Marseille

UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 2005

International

France

UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship (1): 2004

Individual

UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year (1): 2006–07

UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (1): 2006–07

Premier League Player of the Month (1): December 2010

French Player of the Year (1): 2010

Arsenal Player of the Month (1): December 2010

PFA Fans' Player of the Month (3): October 2010, December 2010, January 2011

PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11

References

External links

Arsenal.com profile

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:People from Marseille Category:French people of Algerian descent Category:Association football midfielders Category:Association football wingers Category:French footballers Category:France under-21 international footballers Category:France international footballers Category:French expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Olympique de Marseille players Category:Arsenal F.C. players Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:Ligue 1 players Category:Premier League players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:France youth international footballers

ar:سمير نصري (لاعب) be-x-old:Самір Насры bg:Самир Насри br:Samir Nasri ca:Samir Nasri cs:Samir Nasri da:Samir Nasri de:Samir Nasri et:Samir Nasri el:Σαμίρ Νασρί es:Samir Nasri fa:سمیر نصری fr:Samir Nasri ko:사미르 나스리 hy:Սամիր Նասրի hr:Samir Nasri id:Samir Nasri it:Samir Nasri he:סמיר נאסרי jv:Samir Nasri ka:სამირ ნასრი sw:Samir Nasri lv:Samīrs Nasrī lt:Samir Nasri hu:Samir Nasri mk:Самир Насри mr:समीर नास्री ms:Samir Nasri mn:Самир Насри nl:Samir Nasri ja:サミル・ナスリ no:Samir Nasri pl:Samir Nasri pt:Samir Nasri ro:Samir Nasri ru:Насри, Самир simple:Samir Nasri sk:Samir Nasri sl:Samir Nasri sr:Самир Насри fi:Samir Nasri sv:Samir Nasri th:ซาเมียร์ นาสรี tr:Samir Nasri uk:Самір Насрі vi:Samir Nasri zh-yue:拿斯利 zh:萨米尔·纳斯里

playername	Micah Richards
fullname	Micah Lincoln Richards
dateofbirth	June 24, 1988
cityofbirth	Birmingham
countryofbirth	England
height
currentclub	Manchester City
clubnumber	2
position	Right Back
youthyears1	2000–2001
youthyears2	2001–2005
youthclubs1	Oldham Athletic
youthclubs2	Manchester City
years1	2005–
clubs1	Manchester City
caps1	165
goals1	6
nationalyears1	2003–2004
nationalyears2	2005–2006
nationalyears3	2006–2010
nationalyears4	2006–
nationalteam1	England U16
nationalteam2	England U19
nationalteam3	England U21
nationalteam4	England
nationalcaps1	2
nationalgoals1	0
nationalcaps2	3
nationalgoals2	0
nationalcaps3	14
nationalgoals3	3
nationalcaps4	13
nationalgoals4	1
pcupdate	28 March 2012
ntupdate	29 February 2012 }}

Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester City and the England national team. A powerful right back, he can also play at centre back. On making his full England debut in November 2006, he was the youngest defender ever to be called up to the England squad.

Club career

Early career

Though his parents lived in Leeds, Richards was born in Birmingham as his parents were visiting relatives in the area at the time. Richards grew up in the Chapeltown district of Leeds, where he attended Archbishop Cranmer CofE Primary School and later Wetherby High School. He is right footed.

Richards played for the Leeds United youth system as a striker, but he was released when he was around eight years old. He also represented Leeds Schools FA (Leeds City Boys) at a young age. He later played for the Oldham Athletic youth system, moving to Manchester City as a 14-year old, with Oldham reputedly having a 20% sell on clause. In July 2001 Manchester City reportedly tried to buy out the clause, but Oldham refused. He also attended the Brazilian Soccer Schools scheme and retains strong links with the programme, with his father Lincoln actually running a Brazilian Soccer School in Chapeltown, Leeds.

Manchester City

He made his first team debut on 22 October 2005 against Arsenal, coming on as a substitute and was given his full debut on 12 February 2006 against Charlton Athletic. Since making his first start he has played in the majority of Manchester City's matches, and was named as the club's Young Player of the Year for the 2005–06 season.

Richards came to national prominence when his 94th minute headed goal from a Joey Barton corner in a televised FA Cup fixture against Aston Villa at Villa Park subsequently gained City a replay.

During the 2005–06 season, Richards captained the Manchester City youth team which reached the final of the FA Youth Cup. Richards missed the first leg of the final as he was on first team duty, but returned for the second leg. He helped his side to a 2–0 win over Liverpool, but Liverpool youth won the trophy 3–2 on aggregate.

In July 2006, Manchester City rejected a bid of £5 million for Richards from Tottenham Hotspur. On 25 July 2006 he signed a new four-year contract, quashing rumours of a move away from the City of Manchester Stadium. Throughout 2007, Richards was linked with a move away from City, Stuart Pearce said "I am not actively looking to sell Micah because he has a great future here. Whatever offers come in for him, it is going to take a ridiculously big offer to get him out of this football club. I would love to see Micah stay here, captain the club, and maybe be here for 10 years and carry the club on his back if he can. He is good enough to do it. I have not worked with anyone so good and so young.". He was rewarded with the number 2 shirt for the 2006–07 season, a traditional first team number, rather than the number 45 he wore previously.

Richards lost his temper with manager Stuart Pearce in front of Sky TV cameras after he was substituted during the Blues' 1–0 defeat at the Madejski Stadium against Reading on 11 September 2006. The teenage defender had to be calmed down by Paul Dickov after hurling his shirt out of the dug-out and following it up with a volley of abuse.

Richards' second City goal was also an injury time equalizer, this time in a 1–1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on 30 September 2006. He started the 2007–08 season playing at centre-back. He put in a man of the match performance against Manchester United on the 19 August 2007. This prompted extremely high praise not only from the English media, but more importantly from his boss, former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for August.

He captained the team for the first time on 16 September 2007 against Aston Villa in the absence of teammate Richard Dunne, making Richards the youngest ever City first team captain, beating the 21-year-old Steve Redmond. In February 2008, he signed an improved contract to last until June 2013. At the end of February, he damaged cartilage in his right knee, putting him out for the rest of the season.

On 17 July 2008, Richards played his first full match back from injury in the 2–0 win against EB/Streymur in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. On 24 August 2008, he was knocked unconscious after a clash of heads with teammate Tal Ben Haim. The match was stopped for eight minutes while he received treatment on the pitch. He was later given the all clear after a scan and he left hospital on the same day as the incident. He returned for the second-round UEFA Qualifying clash against FC Midtjylland on 28 August 2008, playing in a new holding midfield role.

On 22 March 2009, Richards netted his first of the 2008–09 season with a header in a man of the match performance giving a 1–0 victory over Sunderland at the City of Manchester Stadium. On 11 July 2009 Eurosport reported he had been diagnosed with swine flu while on holiday in Cyprus. He was kept in isolation after his trip to Ayia Napa, but has now made a full recovery. In the 09–10 season, Micah Richards had two disallowed goals against Portsmouth and Fulham respectively. In Manchester City's 4–2 win over Arsenal, Micah Richards headed in a goal from a Craig Bellamy free-kick. The ball hit the post, then went in off Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and into the net. The goal was initially given as an own goal, however the goal was later given to Richards. He then found the net once again with Manchester City's 3–3 draw with Bolton Wanderers. In the 4–1 Victory over Blackburn Rovers at the City of Manchester Stadium, Richards stormed past 5 Rovers players before laying to striker Benjani, who hit the post, only for Richards to follow up and score. On 11 September 2010, he started at right-back in the Barclays Premier League against Blackburn Rovers at the City of Manchester Stadium and completed the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw. Richards made a star-studded performance in the F.A. cup against Notts County, he set up their only goal in a 1-1 draw were he crossed the ball across the 6 yard box for Edin Dzeko to blast it into the net.

On 20 February 2011, Richards scored an impressive volley in a 5-0 thrashing against Notts County, which carried city to the last 16 of The FA Cup. Also on the 13 March 2011 he got Manchester City a place in the semi-finals of the FA cup, scoring a 74th minute header against Reading at the City of Manchester Stadium in the quarter-finals to bring the tight game to 1-0, which was also the final result. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Richards made a total of 31 appearances and scored 3 goals in all competitions for City, including playing in 18 Barclays Premier League games, scoring 1 goal. On Saturday 27 August 2011, he signed a new four-year deal with Manchester City running until summer 2015. A day later, City beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at White Hart Lane in a Barclays Premier League fixture, in which Richards played for thirty minutes after coming on as a substitute.

International career

In November 2006, Richards received a call-up to the England squad for a friendly against the Netherlands after playing only 28 professional club matches. He had previously won three caps for the England under-21 team, and was chosen to start the game on 15 November 2006 against the Netherlands after regular right back Gary Neville withdrew through injury. It made him England's youngest-ever defender, breaking the record previously held by Rio Ferdinand. He scored his first international goal in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel on 8 September 2007 at Wembley Stadium.

Richards was called-up for the UEFA Under-21 Championship held in Sweden, where he scored a header against Finland as England went through the group stages undefeated. He took over from Steven Taylor who was now overaged for the U21's.

International goals

! #	! Date	! Venue	! Opponent	! Score	! Result	! Competition
1	8 September 2007	Wembley Stadium, London, England		2 – 0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

Club statistics

0 1 0 1 3 1 1

Club	Season	League	FA Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists
rowspan="7" valign="center"	Manchester City		13	|	1	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	1	1
2006–07 in English football	2006–07	28	|	0	5	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	34	0	0
2007–08 in English football	2007–08	25	|	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	0	0
2008–09 in English football	2008–09	34	|	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	12	0	0	47	1	1
2009–10 in English football	2009–10	23	|	1	2	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	29	3	1
2010-11 in English football	2010–11	18	|	1	5	2	1	0	0	0	7	0	0	30	3	2
2011-12 in English football	2011–12	24	|	6	1	0	0	2	0	0	4	0	0	31	1	6
Career total	! 165 !! 6 !! 11 !! 19 !! 3 !! 1 !! 7 !! 0 !! 0 !! 23 !! 0 !! 0 !! 214 !! 9 !! 12

Honours

Manchester City

*FA Cup: 2010–11

References

External links

Micah Richards official website

Micah Richards profile at Manchester City F.C.

Category:1988 births Category:People from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:People from Chapeltown, Leeds Category:Living people Category:British people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent Category:English footballers Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:England international footballers Category:Association football defenders Category:Association football midfielders Category:Association football utility players Category:Leeds United A.F.C. players Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:Black British sportspeople Category:England youth international footballers

ar:ميكاه ريتشاردز bg:Майка Ричардс ca:Micah Richards da:Micah Richards de:Micah Richards et:Micah Richards es:Micah Richards fa:میکا ریچاردز fr:Micah Richards ko:마이카 리처즈 id:Micah Richards it:Micah Richards he:מיקה ריצ'רדס lt:Micah Richards hu:Micah Richards mn:Майка Ричардс nl:Micah Richards ja:マイカ・リチャーズ no:Micah Richards pl:Micah Richards pt:Micah Richards ru:Ричардс, Майка simple:Micah Richards sr:Мајка Ричардс fi:Micah Richards sv:Micah Richards th:ไมคาห์ ริชาดส์ tr:Micah Richards uk:Майка Річардс vi:Micah Richards zh:米卡·李察士

playername	Ian Wright
fullname	Ian Edward Wright
dateofbirth	November 03, 1963
cityofbirth	Woolwich, London
countryofbirth	England
height
position	Striker
currentclub	Milton Keynes Dons(First-Team Coach)
years1	1985–1991
years2	1991–1998
years3	1998–1999
years4	1999
years5	1999–2000
years6	2000
clubs1	Crystal Palace
clubs2	Arsenal
clubs3	West Ham United
clubs4	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)
clubs5	Celtic
clubs6	Burnley
caps1	225
goals1	90
caps2	221
goals2	128
caps3	22
goals3	9
caps4	10
goals4	5
caps5	8
goals5	3
caps6	15
goals6	4
totalcaps	501
totalgoals	239
nationalyears1	1989–1992
nationalyears2	1991–1998
nationalteam1	England B
nationalteam2	England
nationalcaps1	3
nationalgoals1	0
nationalcaps2	33
nationalgoals2	9 }}

Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a former English professional footballer turned television and radio personality and currently part-time first-team coach of Milton Keynes Dons

Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major domestic trophies, and the European Cup Winners Cup. He played 581 league games, scoring 387 goals for seven clubs in Scotland and England and earned 33 caps for the English national team.

He also played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, the Scottish Premier League for Celtic and the Football League for Burnley.

After retiring from the game he has been active in the media, usually in football related TV and radio shows. His son, Bradley and stepson, Shaun are both professional footballers.

Early life

Wright came to professional football relatively late. Despite having had trials at Southend United and Brighton during his teens, he was unable to attract sufficient interest to win a professional contract offer. Reverting to playing for amateur and non-league teams, he was left disillusioned about his chances of a career as a professional footballer.

He spent two weeks in Chelmsford Prison for driving without tax or insurance.

Club career

Crystal Palace

A Crystal Palace talent scout, Peter Prentice, happened to see Wright playing for Dulwich Hamlet and invited him to have a trial at Selhurst Park. Having impressed then-manager Steve Coppell, he signed professional terms for Crystal Palace in August 1985, just three months short of his 22nd birthday.

He quickly made his mark in his first season, scoring nine goals to finish as Palace's second-highest scorer. When Mark 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 to top flight via the playoffs in 1989. Wright was particularly instrumental that season, scoring 24 goals in the Second Division and a grand total of 33 in all competitions.

Wright was called up for England B duty in December 1989 but a twice-cracked shin bone reduced his initial impact in the First Division. However, after recovering from the injury he made a dramatic appearance as a 'super-sub', in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. He equalised for Palace a few minutes after coming onto the field forcing extra time, then putting them ahead in extra time. The eventual score was 3–3, but Palace lost the replay 1–0.

The next season he gained full international honours, and reached a hundred goals for Crystal Palace. He scored twice as Palace beat Everton to win the Zenith Data Systems Cup at Wembley. Wright became renowned for his deadly striking ability, as shown when he scored a hat-trick in just eighteen minutes in Palace's penultimate game of the 1990–91 season away to Wimbledon.

Wright scored 117 goals in 253 starts and 24 substitute appearances over six seasons for The Eagles in all competitions, making him the club's record post-war goalscorer and third on the all-time list. In 2005, he was voted into their Centenary XI and was named as their "Player of The Century".

Arsenal

Wright signed for Arsenal in September 1991 for £2.5 million, which was at the time a club record fee. He scored on his debut against Leicester City in a League Cup tie, and then scored a hat-trick on his League debut against Southampton. He won the Golden Boot in his first season by scoring 29 league goals, five of which were for Palace, and 31 in all competitions. He scored a hat-trick in the final game of the season against Southampton; his third goal being the last ever scored in the old First Division. As of 2007, only Wright and Teddy Sheringham (1992–93 season) have won the top-flight goalscoring award having scored for two different clubs during the season in question.

Wright went on to be the club's top scorer for six seasons in a row. He played a major part in the club's success during the 1990s, winning an FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993; he scored in both the FA Cup Final and the replay against Sheffield Wednesday. Wright also helped Arsenal reach the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, although Wright was suspended for the final in which Arsenal beat Parma 1–0. That season they finished fourth in the Premier League.

Wright scored in every round but the final of Arsenal's 1995 Cup Winners' Cup campaign, and was a strong goalscorer in the Premier League, but it was a difficult time for Arsenal following the dismissal of manager George Graham over illegal payments, and under caretaker Stewart Houston they could only manage a 12th place finish in the league.

The arrival of Bruce Rioch heralded a bleaker time; the two did not get on and eventually Wright handed in a transfer request (which he later retracted). The arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, however, heralded a brief but fruitful striking partnership, and in their first season as a partnership they helped Arsenal finish fifth in the league and qualify for the UEFA Cup. They also reached the Coca-Cola Cup semi-finals, where they went out on away goals to eventual winners Aston Villa.

By the time Arsène Wenger had arrived at Arsenal in September 1996, Wright was nearly 33. Despite his age, he continued to score regularly (being the second highest Premier League scorer in 1996–97 with 23 goals), and on 13 September 1997 he broke Cliff Bastin's Arsenal goalscoring record with a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers (a record since surpassed by Thierry Henry in October 2005). A couple of months later he suffered a bad hamstring injury which ruled him out of the club's run-in to a League and Cup Double; Wright was named as a substitute in the cup final against Newcastle United but did not play.

Wright scored a total of 185 goals for Arsenal in 279 starts and 9 substitute appearances. His final goal at Highbury came on 4 October 1997 against Barnsley and was his 300th career goal for both Crystal Palace and Arsenal. He scored his final goal for Arsenal on 6 January 1998 in a League Cup quarter-final victory against West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground. In his absence, Arsenal were eliminated from the League Cup in the semi-final by Chelsea, ending their hopes of a unique domestic treble.

On 15 July 2008, he finished 4th in 50 Greatest Gunners listed on the Arsenal website.

Later career

In July 1998, Wright moved to West Ham United for £500,000. He spent fifteen months as a West Ham player without reaching the same form he had at Arsenal. During his spell there he made the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he vandalised the referee's dressing room at Upton Park after being sent off during a match against Leeds United. He had subsequent short spells at Nottingham Forest, Celtic, and Burnley (whom he helped to promotion to Division One) before retiring in 2000. He finished his club career with 313 goals in all competitions.

International career

Wright was handed his England debut by manager Graham Taylor in February 1991. He started in the 2–0 victory against Cameroon at Wembley and helped England reach the finals of Euro 1992 in Sweden. Despite the fact that his international career spanned eight years, 87 matches and three different full-time managers, he only started 17 times and was a used substitute in 16 matches. In each of the seven seasons that followed the 1990 World Cup, Wright never scored fewer than 23 goals a season for his club. He scored 25 goals for Crystal Palace during the 1990-91 campaign before going on to break the 30 club-goal barrier five times in the following six seasons. Despite Wright's goalscoring feats, the most number of games he started for England consecutively was three—something he only did twice.

Taylor, who became England manager after the 1990 World Cup in Italy and remained in charge for 38 matches, only handed Wright nine starts and seven substitute appearances. He opted instead to use a whole host of less prolific strikers, including Nigel Clough of Nottingham Forest, Paul Stewart of Tottenham Hotspur, David Hirst of Sheffield Wednesday and Brian Deane of Sheffield United. Wright did not make it into the squad for Euro 1992 at the expense of Clough, Gary Lineker of Tottenham Hotspur, Alan Shearer of Southampton and Arsenal team mates Alan Smith and Paul Merson. This was particularly surprising as Wright had been the highest top division goalscorer in England that season.

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 against Poland in May 1993 and four goals in the 7–1 away win against San Marino in Bologna, Italy, in November 1993, the final match of Taylor's reign as manager. Both matches were qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup in the USA, for which England failed to qualify for the first time since 1978.

Terry Venables replaced Taylor as manager after the unsuccessful 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign 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, Wright never played under his management again. Ultimately, it cost Wright a place in the squad for Euro 1996, where England reached the semi-finals as the host nation. Venables vacated his position as England manager after the tournament and was replaced by Glenn Hoddle.

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 2–0 1998 World Cup qualifying victory in Georgia. 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, including the winner in a 2–1 friendly win against South Africa at Old Trafford in May 1997, and the opener a month later in a 2–0 victory over Italy in the Tournoi de France. England won the four-team tournament, staged as a warm-up event to the 1998 World Cup in France, which also included world champions Brazil as well as the hosts.

Wright went on to help England qualify for the 1998 World Cup by scoring two goals in the 4–0 qualifying campaign victory against Moldova at Wembley in September 1997, before producing arguably his best performance for his country in the vital 0–0 draw in Italy, a month later, which secured his country's passage through to the finals. He missed out on the finals, however, with a recurrence of the hamstring injury which had ruled him out for much of Arsenal's double-winning campaign.

Following the 1998 World Cup, Wright went on to play a further two times for England as a West Ham player. He came on as a substitute in the Euro 2000 qualifier in Luxembourg, a match England won 3–0 in October 1998. He made his final international appearance, a month later, in a friendly against the Czech Republic at Wembley. England won the match 2–0 and it also turned out to be Hoddle's final game as manager.

Wright started six matches and was used as a substitute on six occasions under Hoddle, who was manager for 28 matches. He made his first appearance under Hoddle aged 33 and his final appearance under him aged 35. England went on to qualify for Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, by which time, Wright was approaching his 37th birthday and retired from club football shortly after the tournament. Only Mick 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.

Director of Football

In March 2007, Wright was appointed Director of Football Strategy of Isthmian League team, Ashford Town, and him taking his place on the Board of Directors, following his purchase of a stake in the club.

Coaching career

On 18th May 2012, it was confirmed that Ian Wright would become a part-time first team coach at Milton Keynes Dons.

Broadcasting career

Television

Wright began his television career as a guest host on Top of the Pops. He was later signed up by ITV to present his own chat show, ''Friday Night's All Wright'', where he interviewed such showbiz greats as Elton John, Mariah Carey and Will Smith which ran for two seasons.

Since then, he has gone on to present programmes such as ''Friends Like These'', ''I'd Do Anything'', ''The National Lottery Wright Ticket'' and ''What Kids Really Think''. He took over from David Seaman in Autumn 2004 as a team captain on BBC game show ''They Think It's All Over'', which ran until 2006.

Wright has also starred in ''Men & Motors'' show ''Wright Across America'', where he fulfils a life long dream to travel coast to coast across America on a ''Harley-Davidson'' motorbike. The show is famous for Wright's rocky relationship with co-host and legendary custom bike builder ''Nicky Bootz''.

He also starred in ''Ian Wright's Excellent Adventure'' in which he travels to Greenland with a friend, 'Mrs C' (Novello Noades, wife of former Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades), to scale the highest mountain in the Arctic, Gunnbjørn.

Wright appeared as a "celebrity hijacker" in the television series ''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack''.

On 12 March 2008, Wright was confirmed as one of the presenters of the new series of the popular game show ''Gladiators''.

Wright was a presenter on Channel 5's early evening magazine programme ''Live from Studio Five'', from its launch in September 2009, to August 2010. He originally co-presented the show alongside, former model Melinda Messenger, and runner-up of the ''The Apprentice'', Kate Walsh.

It was announced on 29 January 2010, that Wright’s co-presenter Melinda Messenger was leaving ''Live from Studio Five'' to focus on other projects. After making her final appearance on 26 February 2010, Messenger revealed that she had left the show following a disagreement with Wright. She described their relationship as "intolerable".

Wright continued to present the show, alongside Walsh, and new presenter Jayne Middlemiss. At the beginning of the 12 August 2010 edition of ''Live from Studio Five'', 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.

It was later revealed that Wright had been sacked from ''Live from Studio Five'', after falling out with the show's bosses, over Channel 5's summer talent show ''Don't Stop Believing''. It was reported that Wright refused to promote the show, on the early evening programme, as he was not a fan of it. Wright was also reported to be unhappy with other changes at the programme, such as its daily airtime being cut from 60 minutes to just 30 minutes.

During a radio interview with ''Absolute Radio'', the day after he was axed, Wright stated that, "It's just been arguments for the last couple of weeks." Wright's contract was due to end in September 2010, but show bosses decided not to renew it. Wright, who was reported to have not found out about his termination from the show, until just hours before he was due to arrive at the studios on Thursday 12 August, made his final appearance on Wednesday 11 August's addition of ''Live from Studio Five''. The show was axed in February 2011.

Wright presented ''Football Behind Bars'', a reality TV series aired on Sky1 about his program to socialize young men incarcerated at Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset by organizing 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.

Wright featured on an episode of BBC's 'Top Gear' in 2005, posting a 1.47.8 on the celebrity power lap times.

Radio

Wright formerly co-hosted the drivetime slot (4-7 pm) Monday to Thursday on Talksport, with Adrian Durham. In 2010 Wright joined ''Absolute Radio Rock 'N' Roll Football'' for post match analysis and hosts this on their new Digital and MW radio station Absolute Extra.

Punditry

Since his retirement from football, Wright appeared as a pundit on BBC Sport's ''International Match of the Day'' and has been a pundit for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and Euro 2004.

On 17 April 2008, Wright quit his job on ''Match 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."

Commercials

Wright has appeared in television commercials for the chicken sauce, Chicken Tonight, Nescafe and Ladbrokes along with Chris Kamara, Ally McCoist and former Arsenal team mate Lee Dixon.

He also appears in an advertisement for the Nintendo Wii console where he is playing ''Mario Strikers Charged'' and ''Wii Sports'' with his son Shaun.

Writing

While he was still a professional footballer at Arsenal, Wright published his autobiography, ''Mr Wright''. It was first published in hardback in 1996 by Collins Willow when Wright was still a professional player at Arsenal. It was then published in paperback in 1997, which included an all new updated chapter.

In 1993, Wright wrote and released a single called "Do The Right Thing". The song was co-written and produced by Chris Lowe (of Pet Shop Boys) and reached #43 in the UK Singles Chart.

Wright is also a columnist for tabloid newspaper ''The Sun''.

Personal life

Wright's adopted son Shaun Wright-Phillips currently plays for QPR and England. Shaun's half-brother Bradley Wright-Phillips, who is Ian's biological son, plays for Charlton. Ian's cousin Jermaine Wright currently plays for Lewes FC, having been released by Blackpool, while Ian's other son, Brett Wright, had a trial with Reading in September 2005 and played for their reserve team. His youngest son, Stacey, is a keen rugby player and attends Whitgift School in Croydon.

Wright is also the patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust. He has supported Millwall F.C. since he was a boy.

Awards

Shortly after his retirement from playing in 2000, Wright was awarded the MBE for his services to football.

Career statistics

|- |1985–86||rowspan="7"|Crystal Palace||rowspan="4"|Second Division||32||9||2||0||34||9 |- |1986–87||38||9||5||1||43||10 |- |1987–88||41||20||4||3||45||23 |- |1988–89||42||24||3||1||45||25 |- |1989–90||rowspan="4"|First Division||26||8||7||1||33||9 |- |1990–91||38||15||8||4||46||19 |- |1991–92||8||5||0||0||8||5 |- |1991–92||rowspan="7"|Arsenal||30||24||3||2||33||26 |- |1992–93||rowspan="7"|Premier League||31||15||15||15||46||30 |- |1993–94||39||23||13||11||52||34 |- |1994–95||31||18||14||12||45||30 |- |1995–96||31||15||9||8||40||23 |- |1996–97||35||23||6||7||41||30 |- |1997–98||24||10||4||1||28||11 |- |1998–99||West Ham United||22||9||1||0||23||9 |- |1999–2000||Nottingham Forest||First Division||10||5||0||0||10||5 |- |1999–2000||Celtic||Premier League||8||3||1||0||9||3 |- |1999–2000||Burnley||Second Division||15||4||0||0||15||4 493||236||94||66||587||302 8||3||1||0||9||3 501||239||95||66||596||305

Honours

Club

;Crystal Palace

Second Division (1): 1989

Full Members Cup (1): 1991

;Arsenal

FA Premier League (1): 1997–98

FA Cup (2): 1993, 1998

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1994

League Cup (1): 1993

;West Ham United

UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1999

International

;England

Tournoi de France (1): 1997

England Challenge Cup (1): 1991

Individual

First Division Golden Boot (1): 1991-92

First Division Goal of the Season (1): 1989–90

Crystal Palace Player of the Year (1): 1989

PFA Second Division Team of the Year (1): 1988–89

PFA Premier League Team of the Year (2): 1992-93, 1996-97

Premier League Player of the Month (1): November 1996

English Football Hall of Fame: 2005

Crystal Palace Centenary XI: 2005

References

External links

Ian Wright Player Statistics Soccerbase

Number 8 - Ian Wright ArseWEB

Football Hall of Fame - Ian Wright National Football Museum

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:English footballers Category:England international footballers Category:England B international footballers Category:Arsenal F.C. players Category:Burnley F.C. players Category:Celtic F.C. players Category:Crystal Palace F.C. players Category:Nottingham Forest F.C. players Category:West Ham United F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:Scottish Premier League players Category:The Football League players Category:First Division/Premier League topscorers Category:English television presenters Category:English radio personalities Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Black English sportspeople Category:People from Woolwich Category:English Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:Black British television personalities Category:British association football commentators

ar:إيان رايت da:Ian Wright de:Ian Wright (Fußballspieler) es:Ian Wright (futbolista) eu:Ian Wright fr:Ian Wright gd:Iain Wright it:Ian Wright he:איאן רייט la:Ioannes Wright hu:Ian Wright nl:Ian Wright ja:イアン・ライト no:Ian Edward Wright pl:Ian Wright pt:Ian Wright ru:Райт, Иан simple:Ian Wright fi:Ian Wright sv:Ian Wright th:เอียน ไรต์ tr:Ian Wright uk:Іан Райт zh:伊恩·胡禮