Shaun Wright-Phillips will swap his football boots for dancing shoes as he takes part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing competition
Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Shaun Wright-Phillips will appear on Strictly Come Dancing this year(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Shaun Wright-Phillips will return to our television screens to try something entirely new as he takes on the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom. The former Manchester City winger is one of 15 celebrities taking part in the BBC competition alongside other sports stars, including Dame Sarah Storey and Tabby Stoecker.
Wright-Phillips began his career in 1999, being promoted from City's youth system and established himself in the first team under the late Kevin Keegan. Across two stints for the club, the ex-winger appeared 276 times and made 85 goal contributions, winning the FA Cup and the First Division.
The ex-England international also starred for Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and New York Red Bulls, earning 36 caps for his country and scoring six goals. Since retiring in 2019, Wright-Phillips has worked as a pundit for ITV, BBC, talkSPORT and Sky Sports.
Who is Shaun Wright-Phillips' mum?
Before his footballing career took off, Wright-Phillips was brought up by his mum, Sharon, in south-east London. When he was released by Nottingham Forest as a youth player, the ex-winger was supported heavily by his mother, who believed bigger things were on the way.
Speaking on City's website, Sharon said: "I didn’t feel bad that Nottingham Forest let him go. It was just a learning process."
Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Wright-Phillips has always had his mum, Sharon, in his corner(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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Wright-Phillips has credited his mum with instilling in him a strong work ethic and drive to go the whole way in football. He said: "I put that down to my mum to be honest. Even if I was sick, she had to go to work but I would still have to clean the house.
"I knew whatever I had to do in life, you had to work for it. Nothing comes for free, it all comes from hard work."
Describing his move to City as a young star, Sharon added: "When he had to get on that train [to Manchester] by himself for the first time, my heart ached. I had never been to Manchester back then but I loved it. It’s a nice place to be. Manchester would be my second home.
"Seeing him coping when he didn’t have us around made me feel good. He learnt a lot, he took it with him and he became a man."
Adoptive father Ian
Ian Wright.
Ian Wright has supported his adoptive son throughout his career(Image: Getty)
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But it wasn't just his mum, Sharon, who was backing him to succeed in football – his adoptive father, Ian, was also there to provide first-hand experience in the sport. The Arsenal legend adopted Shaun when he was three, after beginning a relationship with his mother.
The pair later had another son, Bradley, who also had a career in football and played alongside his brother in the MLS. Wright split from Shaun and Bradley's mother shortly after the latter's birth and has since had six more kids with three different partners.
Despite the split, Wright-Phillips has credited his dad with giving him plenty of support throughout his career, particularly when he was faced with racist remarks. Speaking to talkSPORT in 2019, the ex-Chelsea man said: "It was a big benefit to have my dad to knock certain things on the head that may have touched a very bad nerve and I could’ve reacted differently.
He guided me and my brother in the right direction and we’ve learned to cope with it. It’s just not good to have in the game, period. It’s just wrong."
Pro footballer son
D'Margio Wright-Phillips.
Shaun's son D'Margio also plays football(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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Wright-Phillips has also passed his footballing abilities onto his own child, D'Margio, who also played as a winger. The 24-year-old came through City's youth set-up - the same as his dad - before going on to begin his senior career with Stoke City.
He made 20 appearances for Stoke in three seasons, scoring twice and going out on loan to Northampton Town and Beerschot. He continues to appear for the Belgian side, having played 49 times for the club, scoring 13 times.
Speaking about his family's heritage in football, D'Margio told The Times in 2022: "There is always going to be pressure in football no matter what sort of family you’ve got and, to be honest, I don’t really feel the pressure. To me, it’s just my dad, my grandad and my uncle but I’m definitely aware of it.
"I’ve watched a lot of my dad’s YouTube videos and a lot of my grandad’s YouTube videos — even my uncle — and it’s just amazing to see, because one day I would hope for my family to do that with me."