Alan Shearer writes touching message to Ian Wright over MOTD exit and reveals how Saturdays will now be very different
ALAN SHEARER issued a heartfelt message to fellow football legend Ian Wright after the Arsenal great announced he will be stepping down from Match of the Day.
Wright announced on Sunday that he will be quitting the BBC show at the end of the season.
Shearer praised his longtime partner on the hit football show, where they formed a stunning team alongside host Gary Lineker for many years.
And the Newcastle legend insists Saturdays will no longer be the same without the 60-year-old.
That is because they will be “much, much quieter” without the ex-England international’s lively character and signature laugh.
Shearer wrote on The Athletic: “[Wednesday] I picked him up from the airport, we had breakfast at his hotel and then I met him again in the pub a few hours later.
“It was only afterwards that I appreciated how much I’d been looking forward to it and perhaps this, ultimately, is the best compliment I can pay my longstanding colleague on Match of the Day.
“Wrighty, if you’re reading this, you make life a joy. It was over the course of his trip that he told me he’d be stepping back from Match of the Day come the end of the season.
“We’ll still work together on the Premier League, but my Saturdays certainly won’t be the same. For a start, they will be much, much quieter.”
Wright first appeared on the show while still a player at Arsenal in 1997, later returning for further stints between 2002-2008 and 2015 to the present.
Shearer wasn’t the only one who paid tribute to the legendary striker’s contribution on Match of the Day.
Lineker tweeted: “It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work alongside you, Ian. One of my favourite people on the planet. Farewell my friend.”
Wright stated he is leaving the flagship show after making “great friends and many great memories”.
The ex-Crystal Palace star suggested he is departing the programme to pursue different projects.
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Wright announced: “I’m stepping back having made great friends and many great memories.
“This decision has been coming for a while, maybe my birthday earlier this year fast tracked it a little, but ultimately it’s time to do a few more different things with my Saturdays.”
“I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible run on the most iconic football show in the world.
“Anyone that knows my story knows how much the show has meant to me since I was young boy. MOTD is my Holy Grail.
“On my first ever show, I told Des Lynam, ‘This is my Graceland’. It will always be my Graceland and I will always be watching.”