SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
Shaun Wright-Phillips hasn’t played peek-a-boo in years, and he’s loving every second of it.
Yes, he may be 38 years old now. Yes, he may have a Premier League winner’s medal on his mantelpiece. Yes, he may have won 36 caps for England. But ask him, on FourFourTwo’s behalf, to hide behind a curtain and then burst out for a few photos, and SWP is bang up for it.
“I’ll try not to pull the curtains down,” he says, chuckling, after FFT has made our odd request at the Hollywood Arms near Stamford Bridge, the home of his former club Chelsea.
Several minutes of giggling ensues, as the ex-winger is fleetingly transported back to the innocent days of childhood, trying to sneak a peek without getting himself tangled up in the curtain. “It’s like I can’t get out of the flipping thing – I’m only 5ft 5in!” he laughs.
That enthusiasm runs in the family – father Ian Wright, the Arsenal talisman who adopted Shaun at the age of three, has carried it into his mid-fifties.
Wright-Phillips’ permanent residence is in Arizona these days, after he ended his playing career with Phoenix Rising following a spell at New York Red Bulls. Now, though, the one-time Manchester City star is back in England and ready to answer your questions…
Was your smaller frame a hindrance when you started out?
Graham Russell, via Instagram I never thought it was an issue. I always played with kids who were much bigger and older than me, which gave me the toughness I needed for someone small. I knew that my agility would give me an advantage, too. My height was more of an excuse for other people. [FFT: Could you get on theme park rides?] I’d stand on my tiptoes or wear some thick-soled trainers. That normally worked!
How did it feel when you were let go by Nottingham Forest aged 17?
Sally Jepson, Mansfield When it was time to sign the YTS forms, they said, “Yeah, we think we’re going to sign you.” Me and my mum were an hour into the train journey back down south when we got a phone call saying they’d done a U-turn. It became, “You’re too small, not good enough, and we’re not going to give you that contract.” It was a reality check, because I’d put all of my eggs in one basket. [FFT: How tall were you then?] Knowing me, 3ft 10in! I must have been around 4ft 6in or so, but I’d like to think I offered something a bit different. I was fortunate that the same scout who took me to Nottingham Forest then took me to Manchester City for a trial. In a way, I owe Forest a thank you, because they gave me the drive to prove them wrong.
Growing up, did being the son of
