Shaun Wright-Phillips’
City story

Naturally, Shaun’s story cannot be told without mentioning Bradley, his younger brother by three years.

The striker reached first team level at City but truly excelled in MLS football with New York Red Bulls.

One of the first voices we hear is Sharon Phillips, Shaun’s mum, speaking from Brockley in South East London.

“They had a good childhood,” she said.

“They were allowed to do what they wanted, as such. There were rules and regulations but football was their main goal every morning. That was their first thing, first task.

“He was tiny, but he was just good at it. The little flicks he used to do, he could stand far away and kick a ball straight into the goal.

“A lot of people told me he was going to be really good so I just helped him nurture it. Ian as well. He did all on his own though.

Taking the cameras through the area he and Shaun grew up in, Lee Anderson, Shaun’s childhood friend, points out the narrow side streets they made their football pitch.

Slabs sticking out of the pavement acted as the goals, while hedges behind were the net, or on the occasions the ball went over, an obstacle to overcome to retrieve it.

They also drop by the Wright Phillips House in the area, named so because of the achievements of Shaun and Bradley.

Anderson points out that football was always at the heart of their friendship, but it soon became clear that Shaun had a talent his peers couldn’t match.

“It was always football. As you get older you start to…no actually, it was always centred around football. In those sorts of environments, you don’t have anything else to do,” he said.

“In order to stand out amongst 30 or 40 kids you have to have something. You have to have quick feet to get around that many kids. Goals from a long way out, he’s been doing that since he was nine.”

In 1996, Wright-Phillips was first spotted at a six-a-side session by a Nottingham Forest scout named Kieron Rafferty.

Shaun was duly invited for trials in the midlands and, despite my his mother’s concerns, the family knew it was an opportunity not to be missed.

“I used to get scared because he was so little and so young, especially when he first went to Nottingham,” said Sharon.

Shaun was offered a schoolboy contract but a crushing blow followed when it was time to progress on to the Youth Training Scheme for 16 and 17 year olds.

“They told me I was too small and not good enough,” says Shaun.

“I didn’t really know how to take it. I think it was my first mental challenge that I was up against.”

Another City hero and future team-mate of Shaun’s was already making his living from the game at this time.

Shaun Goater, or ‘The Goat’ to City fans, had first been signed by Manchester United but did not reach the first team.

He rebuilt his career at Rotherham United and Bristol City before making the move to Maine Road in 1998.

Looking back, he feels rejection may have played a big role in the players that both Shauns would become.

“When you have some rejection in your career, those knockbacks inspired us more. We said ‘we’ll show them’,” said Goater.

Anderson remembers how Shaun bounced back after his release.

“He didn’t really express massive disappointment,” he said.

“He just knew that he had to work and something was going to happen. Everyone knew that Shaun was a special talent so none of us thought that he wasn’t going to make it in football.”

Sharon was not perturbed either, saying: “I didn’t feel bad that Nottingham Forest let him go. It was just a learning process.”

Shaun credits his mum with instilling him with the determination needed to bounce back.

“I put that down to my mum to be honest. Even if I was sick, she had to go to work but I would still have to clean the house,” he said.

“I knew whatever I had to do in life, you had to work for it. Nothing comes for free, it all comes from hard work.”

Kieron Rafferty, the scout who had first spotted Shaun and taken him to Nottingham, then got back in touch.

He had spoken with City and Shaun was invited for a trial.

“When he had to get on that train [to Manchester] by himself for the first time, my heart ached,” said Sharon.

“I had never been to Manchester back then but I loved it. It’s a nice place to be. Manchester would be my second home.

“Seeing him coping when he didn’t have us around made me feel good. He learnt a lot, he took it with him and he became a man.”

That move, away from family and friends, can go one of two ways. For Shaun, it was his making.

“I wanted, in a way, to be away from London,” he said.

“There was too many distractions growing up with my cousins and friends and wanting to go out. The next thing I knew, I was signing the year that City got relegated to Division Two.”

The team-mates that he joined up with all recount the Shaun Wright-Phillips that walked through the door.

“He was moving in to join the family that I had been with for several years,” said Michael Brown.

“I started to know a lot about him and saw his pathway. He didn’t disappoint very early and I could see exactly what type of player he was.

“First and foremost, I just remember how small he was when he first came in,” says Paul Dickov.

“My first thoughts were that he’s not a striker! I knew he was humble and hungry,” Goater reflected.

Despite City’s low ebb at that point, our fans remained with us throughout. With average attendances far exceeding the rest of the league and travelling support continuing to be loud and proud, it was immediately clear to Wright-Phillips the kind of club he had joined.

“The first thing I remember was the fans,” he said.

“No matter where we were or what league. It was a group of 35,000 or so people that always believed in the team. I felt like signing there and as long as I worked hard, it would be a great place for me.”

The youngster was soon part of the first team setup, and made his league debut at Port Vale.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Fans remember seeing Shaun’s tiny stature, and wondering just how a player with that physique would cope in the rough and tumble of England’s lower leagues.

It didn’t help that his shirt would drown him out. Despite the seemingly huge shirt on his back, there wasn’t enough space for his full name so Shaun elected to go by ‘Phillips’ until a solution was found.

Eventually, the letters were curved and Wright-Phillips was truly ready to make a name for himself.

And he did just that.

Eight goals in 35 games came as part of the deadly City side that scored 108 goals and picked up 99 points on the way to the 2001/02 First Division title.

31 Premier League appearances came in 2002/03 as Keegan’s side made an impressive return to the top tier. It was also the last of four successive campaigns in which Shaun was recognised as our Young Player of the Year.

No longer eligible for that award in 2003/04, he was instead named the Club’s Player of the Year. However, it was a disappointing year for the team as the goals dried up and a 16th-place finish was all we could muster.

Shaun got even better in the following season, being named in the PFA Team of the Year. His 10 goals in 34 league showings were crucial in taking us to eighth in the table.

“You could genuinely call him a superstar during his first stint at City. He was miles better than any other player at City,” said Richard Dunne, who was a central defensive rock between 2000 and 2009.

Esme Morgan, a current star for our women’s team and an England international, vividly remembers the effect Shaun’s football had on her at an early age.

“I remember my first City game. We beat Bolton 6-2 and he scored two goals. I remember how fast he was, he would take people on and he was so exciting to watch. I was only three or four at the time but I loved watching him play,” she said.

“He got an injury and because he was my favourite player me and my mum sent him a ‘Get well soon’ card. He sent back a postcard just to say thank you for the letter and I’ve still got it to this day.”

However, Shaun’s time at City wasn’t to last forever. He joined Premier League champions Chelsea in the summer of 2005.

“I said to my guys, I’m happy. I don’t want to go anywhere. They told me it’s not that simple but I would say ‘it is’,” he said.

“The club accepted the offer and then some of the senior boys asked if I was going. I was advised it’s in my best interests not to play in case I got injured. That made it clear that I was leaving.

“It was something I never saw coming. At the time I didn’t want it to happen and I pretty much cried most of the journey home.

“I thought I was going to be at City for my whole career. I knew that I would be back before I would retire.”

His stay at Chelsea would see him add to his England caps and win both the Premier League and FA Cup.

Three years passed and Shaun was now on the fringes at Chelsea and needing to play more to retain his place in the England squad.

With both Tottenham Hotspur and City interested, the choice was easy for Shaun. He returned to City on 28 August 2008.

“City was his home,” said Shaun’s mum Sharon.

His second debut for the Club was at Sunderland and it turned out to be the winger’s dream day, scoring twice in a 3-0 win.

As the Club pushed towards the success that would come under Roberto Mancini, Wright-Phillips played his part in the 2010/11 FA Cup triumph.

His second spell at City ended in August 2011 with a return to London. This time he joined Queens Park Rangers before completing his career in the US with New York Red Bulls and Phoenix Rising.

Now, Shaun is a regular face around the Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy.

A frequent panellist on Matchday Live and helping spread the word about City around the globe as part of our Treble Trophy Tour, Wright-Phillips has a home for life at City.

You can watch Shaun Wright-Phillips: City's Homegrown Hero on CITY+ now.