SoccerBible Meets Ian Wright - Talks Euro 2012
Former England striker Ian Wright netted over 300 goals in his club career. Now a passionate and outspoken media pundit, he spoke exclusively with SoccerBible about the Three Lions chances at Euro 2012, England s striker shortage and why it would be wise to avoid sharing a sauna with Gazza.
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Which teams do you think will do well at Euro 2012? Ian Wright: It ll be the usual suspects - Spain, Germany and Holland. Czech Republic and Croatia are decent sides too. England s first group game against France will be a tough test. England will have to be close to their best to get out of the group and earn the right to face the top countries. Which players do you think will have a good tournament? IW: Robin Van Persie has had an unbelievable season at Arsenal so he ll go into the tournament with a lot of confidence. Roberto Soldado scored a lot of goals for Valencia this season and he could be a danger for Spain. If you could pick one player from the teams competing at Euro 2012 and put them into the England side, who would it be and why? |
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IW: Luka Modric. He s a Paul Scholes-type player who keeps the ball and has the right temperament. I d love to see him in our midfield.
What can England achieve?
IW: There can t be too much expectation. At the moment we don t know who s playing up-front, who s going to play in midfield or in central defence. We ve just got to be pleased that we ve made it to the tournament and hope the players give it a massive go.
If you were England manager, would you include Wayne Rooney in your squad even though he s banned for the first two matches?
IW: You have to take him. He s a world class player who adds that bit of extra quality when he plays. Other teams will fear him and that could be important, especially when games are tight. He can unlock defences and that could be vital if we still need something in our third group game.
Which other strikers would be in your squad?
IW: We re not blessed with an abundance of strikers at the moment. Whoever is fit and in form has a great chance of being involved in the squad. Considering Darren Bent is injured, Theo Walcott is an automatic starter for me. With his pace you could play him up-front through the middle. I d take Daniel Sturridge as he s shown a lot of promise and is a confident player. He s very quick and could cause problems by getting behind defenders.
Jermain Defoe hasn t played much football for Tottenham this season but he still scores goals and is experienced at the highest level. Danny Welbeck is another player I d take. He s got used to playing alongside top players at Manchester United and I think he could be important if he can stay up-front and not drift too much.
Can you remember your first-ever pair of boots?
IW: I got my first pair of boots when I was seven years old. They were a pair of George Best boots with two white stripes down the side of the laces. One of my school teachers gave them to me.
Have you kept any special pairs of boots?
IW: Yes, I ve got a pair of Puma King boots from 1989. I wore them for Crystal Palace in our first home game back in Division One. We were playing Manchester United and they went 1-0 up through Bryan Robson. I scored in the last minute and we drew the game 1-1. I ve got great memories from that night.
What was the best prank you witnessed during your England career?
IW: Gazza was always playing pranks. Once he threw a cup of wee on the coals of the sauna we were in. It s the best and the worst prank I ve ever had played on me.
Would you ever try out one of Mario Balotelli s crazy haircuts?
IW: The craziest style I ever had was a blonde-gold colour when I was playing. Loads of players have Mohicans these days but I m not too sure about them to be honest. Balotelli looks a bit like Godzilla with his.
I ve heard you like a bit of karaoke. What s your favourite song to sing?
IW: War by Edwin Starr is my karaoke song.
You re starring in the latest advert for Carlsberg. Have you ever been tempted to follow in the footsteps of Vinnie Jones and become a movie star?
IW: What people don't understand about Vinnie is the bottle he's got. He could convince anyone that he was the best footballer in the world, even though he wasn't! He s got what it takes to carry off a character and that s almost what he did during his career as a player. I m a big fan of actors and film but it s never appealed to me - I'd rather watch.
Ian Wright was speaking during a break from filming the latest Carlsberg advert. Carlsberg is The Official Beer of The England Football Team and sponsor of UEFA EURO 2012™. The television commercial will be available to view in full from Friday 11th May at www.youtube.com/carlsberguk
