Ian Wright 'nearly died' in horror car crash as he recalls incident
Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright has recalled how he once "nearly died" on his way to Manchester to record Match of the Day - not that colleague Roy Keane believes him
The life of a pundit isn't always as cushty as it may appear, as Ian Wright found out first-hand in a near-death experience.
Or at least that's how the Arsenal icon described his narrow escape from a horror car crash in February 2022. Wright, 60, was on his way to film Match of the Day in Manchester when his car lost control in wet conditions.
The ex-Premier League hitman was being driven by his chauffeur when disaster struck, though he was fortunate to escape unscathed. And it's changed the way Wright perceives driving in the rain.
After being grilled by friend Roy Keane for being late to a recent recording of The Overlap, Wright replied: "We had terrible rain on the motorway, we had to slow down! Two years ago, I nearly died! In the same kind of weather. I'm petrified when it starts raining."
Manchester United legend Keane guffawed at the claim and assured Wright he wasn't as close to death as he believed. But Wright insisted: "So we're driving and [the driver] hit the brakes. He must be doing 60 or 70 [miles per hour] - the car's aquaplaned, it's hit the central reservation, spun around and we're facing that way [into oncoming traffic]. That's enough to frighten ya."
MOTD viewers were stunned to learn of Wright's narrow call when it happened, though Wright didn't let it impede his work. The Gunners great dusted himself down before carrying on his journey and made it in to record that evening's episode on schedule.
"Not a straightforward trip up for @BBCMOTD!," he posted on social media at the time. " Thankfully nobody was hurt. Be careful out there, lots of water on the road. Thank you to my amazing driver Jay and the brilliant emergency services. See you tonight."
Photos of the wreck certainly looked convincing enough, though Wright maintained his usual upbeat demeanour all the while. The veteran has since stepped away from his role on Match of the Day, though he continues to offer up nuggets of wisdom as part of the Sky Sports cast.
Keane remained reluctant to accept Wright's 'near death' claim and assured his colleague his airbags would have saved him. When Wright responded by reminding the Irishman there were no airbags in the back of his car, Keane laughed and joked his former rival was probably "watching The Godfather for the 50th time."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
