Billy Wright

Billy Wright one of the best English players in the history of football. He spent his entire career at Wolverhampton.

Trophies

Goals

646

Games

1939/59 Wolverhampton (ENG) 541 games, 16 goals

(English Premier League: 490 games, 13 goals)

(English Cup: 48 games, 3 goals)

(Charity Shield: 1 game)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 2 games)

With the National Team :

105 caps, 3 goals

(Friendly matches: 53 caps, 2 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 10 caps)

(World Cup: 10 caps)

(British Home Championship: 38 caps, 1 goal)

1st cap: September 28, 1946 against Northern Ireland (7-2)

Last cap: May 28, 1959 against the United States (8-1)

B: 1 cap, 1 goal

William Ambrose "Billy" Wright

Born February 6, 1924 in Ironbridge (ENG)

Died September 3, 1994 in London (ENG)

English, Center-back, Defensive-midfielder, Left-back, 1m73

Nickname: "Snowy"

Wolverhampton's great hope

Billy Wright was born on February 6, 1924 in Ironbridge, England. Initially a winger, he was eventually moved to the position of central defender because he was known for his excellent reading of the game and his management of duels. He was very good in 1-on-1 duels, often getting the upper hand on the opponent.

An athlete who was never injured, he was very professional, always focused and his game was based on a simple and effective game. He joined the Wolves first team in 1939 at the age of 15. He had joined the club's youth categories after answering a small ad in a newspaper announcing the detection of young players.

He signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 during the Second World War, his career came to a halt and the club suspended its activity. During this period, he was invited to play with Leicester City where he played both as a striker and as a defender. He finally returned to Wolves in 1942.

The great leader of the great Wolverhampton

But a year later, he became a physical instructor for soldiers while playing around a hundred matches during the war. It was at the end of the conflict that his career really took off and he became captain of his team after Stan Cullis retired.

With Billy Wright as captain, the Wolverhampton team would become one of, if not the best team in England. They won 3 English Championships and 1 FA Cup. During the 1940s, he only missed 31 matches, notably because of his call-ups to the national team.

The first player with more than 100 official international caps

His career with the Three Lions began in September 1946 when he was only 22 years old. He then played as a left-back. And from 1948, he became the captain of the national team. He will be the captain of the Three Lions for a total of 11 years until his international retirement which occurred the same year as his football retirement.

He will be the captain of the Three Lions for a total of 90 matches, he will also become the first player in history to exceed 100 international selections. In total, he will have played 105 matches for 3 goals for England, with 70 consecutive matches, a record.

He retired in August 1959 after 541 official matches played for his club of always for whom he will have played for 20 years. Absolute legend of his club and his country, he will have notably reached the second place of the Ballon d'Or in 1957.