Soccer is a beautiful game that inspires many fans, especially little children, to do better in life. It teaches us how hard work and determination are important, while teamwork and cooperation go a long way.
Soccer also teaches us to respect each other regardless of our appearance and beliefs. And yet, there are some instances of bad things going on behind the scenes. Arsenal legend Ian Wright recently spoke about an incident that does not go with the ideals of the beautiful game.
Ian Wright discloses Jim Cannon bullied him
Ian Wright is recognized as one of the best ever players to play in the Premier League. He was a deadly striker who terrorized many rival teams. He played for both Crystal Palace and Arsenal, though it was the latter for whom he really impressed.
However, while he is an established legend now, he also had humble beginnings once and had to start as a young, inexperienced player. In a recent episode of the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast, Ian Wright was there alongside other Premier League legends such as Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Jamie Carragher.
He said that, despite his vast success, life wasn’t always like this for him. He revealed that during his early days at Crystal Palace, he was the victim of bullying. He even pointed out a single player by the name of Jim Cannon, labelling him a bully.
He said, “Jim Cannon – when I got into the Palace squad. He was just a bitter old player, man. Scottish player, centre half. He made my first couple of years in professional football a f***ing nightmare, man. He was a bully in there.”
He further revealed that Jim used to make fun of his rather poor background, and he tried to inform the manager about it. However, Jim, being a senior player of the club, could do as he pleased without any major repercussions. Wright also revealed that he was once kicked when he managed to beat Jim in training sessions, which were also torture for him.
Wright also shed tears at one point, which proves that he really felt bad about the treatment he had received. Roy Keane also admitted that bullies like Jim were unfortunately very common in the sport.
Ian Wright’s stats while playing for Crystal Palace
It makes sense now why Wright didn’t really score a lot at Palace when compared to his Arsenal days. The 60-year-old only scored 30 goals in 77 first-division games for Crystal Palace, which are good stats for any other player. If his stats from the second division are considered as well, he has 90 goals with them. Wright, meanwhile, scored 170 times for the Gunners in a very illustrious period of time.
With Arsenal, he spent six years between 1985 and 1991 but did not win anything with them. The best he could achieve with them was a third-place finish in the Premier League.
The story of Ian Wright is definitely sad, and it is clear that incidents like this must not be tolerated. Nowadays, clubs are strict about this type of situation, so the sport is somewhat safe from the hands of bullies.
