Mark Wright has become a common face on TV screens since starring in the first three series of The Only Way Is Essex between 2010-2011, before gaining further recognition and popularity through other media work and national television appearances.
But Wright has also dabbled his hand in football and hit the headlines once again in December 2020 when he joined League Two side Crawley Town, before making his professional debut aged 35 against Premier League outfit Leeds United in the FA Cup Third Round a month later.
Here is all you need to know about the TV personality’s football journey, where a semi-professional career in non-league was followed by appearances on Soccer Aid and a professional debut.
Wright began his footballing career in the youth academies at West Ham United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, playing as a left-back, but never got the breakthrough he was looking for, despite there being clear talent after featuring in the respective Premier League setups.
However, he soon found a lifeline at Southend United, yet never made a competitive appearance for the Shrimps between 2005-06 after deciding he would focus on a career in nightclub promoting and convert to playing semi-professionally, sealing a loan move to non-league outfit Lewes.
After leaving Southend, Wright signed for Grays Athletic of the Conference National, but made just one appearance for the club before being sent on loan to league rivals Crawley Town, where he scored his only goal in nine appearances in a 1-0 win against Tamworth, followed by further loan stints at Rushden & Diamonds and St. Albans City.
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After leaving Grays in 2007, he then joined a host of non-league clubs over a four-year spell, including Bishop’s Stortford and Heybridge Swifts, while he made a single appearance for the England C team in a 1-0 defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina B in September 2008, before eventually seeing his playing days come to an end in 2011.
A career in reality TV quickly took over Wright’s life, but his popularity on screen presented him with opportunities to feature in the British annual charity event, Soccer Aid, playing for England in 2016, 2018 and 2019. On his debut in the 2016 edition, he scored a stunning long range free-kick as England won 3-2, while he was later named as man of the match.
But following a near 10-year hiatus from playing football, Wright made the headlines in December 2020 when it was revealed that he had signed for League Two outfit Crawley on a non-contract basis, returning to the club after featuring for them in the 2006-07 season while in the Conference National - now called the National League.
And at the age of 33-years-old, Wright finally made his professional debut in January 2021, coming on as a 90th minute substitute for The Reds in their shock 3-0 victory over top flight club Leeds United in the FA Cup Third Round. Yet he would make just one more appearance for the West Sussex club, in a 3-1 home defeat to Harrogate Town.
Wright was given the opportunity to impress from the start after being selected at left-back, but after his side fell 3-0 behind in the first 45 minutes, he was substituted at half-time. He was then released at the end of the season having made just two appearances, and has not turned out for another club since.
Wright’s brother, Josh, is also a professional footballer and featured in both of his appearances for Crawley, after signing for them in January 2021. He now plays for National League South outfit Billericay Town, but has enjoyed a successful career in the football league with the likes of Scunthorpe United, Millwall, Gillingham and Leyton Orient.
