Arsenal stars almost made Ian Wright cry before narrow Wolves victory

Arsenal legend Ian Wright was touched by the sight of his former club’s players warming up in a training top he designed ahead of their win over Wolves on Saturday. The classy gesture commemorated Wright, who was once the Gunners’ record goal-scorer, turning 60 last month.

Wright cut his teeth with Crystal Palace in the professional game, and by the time he was brought to Highbury in 1991, he had nurtured a reputation for being lethal in front of goal.

The sharp-shooting striker bagged 185 times in 288 first-team appearances for the Gunners, which stood as the club record until it was surpassed by another north London icon – Thierry Henry – in 2005.

To mark Wright turning 60 last month, the former England international was permitted by Arsenal and sponsors Adidas to design a sentimental training top, featuring prominent moments from his playing days, which the players wore before kick-off against Wolves.

“It’s a beautiful gesture from Arsenal for my 60th birthday,” Wright told Premier League Productions. “That shirt is just different patches of my Arsenal career, my Arsenal moments and my friends. David Seaman is on there. Kelly Smith. David Rocastle. Tony Adams.

“Just little moments of my career and how it went. The club have been amazing. For them to do that, alongside Adidas, it’s just a dream come true. And now the team is warming up in them, I think I am going to cry.”

“I can only praise the players and the way they played and competed,” he said after the final whistle. “They were excellent. We played against a really good side and we generated so much and conceded almost nothing.

“The scoreline should’ve been very different. We were really unlucky in certain moments, we hit the post twice or three times I think, and at the end we made an error close to the goal and in the Premier League you get punished big time and then it’s game on. But I am really, really happy with how we performed again.”