Bradley Wright-Phillips facts for kids
Bradley Wright-Phillips with New York Red Bulls in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Bradley Edward Wright-Phillips | ||
| Date of birth | 12 March 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Lewisham, England | ||
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Manchester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2006 | Manchester City | 32 | (2) |
| 2006–2009 | Southampton | 111 | (22) |
| 2009–2011 | Plymouth Argyle | 32 | (17) |
| 2011–2013 | Charlton Athletic | 82 | (31) |
| 2013 | → Brentford (loan) | 15 | (5) |
| 2013–2019 | New York Red Bulls | 195 | (108) |
| 2020 | Los Angeles FC | 19 | (8) |
| 2021 | Columbus Crew | 21 | (1) |
| 2022 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 507 | (194) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005 | England U20 | 5 | (0) |
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Bradley Edward Wright-Phillips (born on 12 March 1985) is a former professional football player from England. He played as a striker, which means he was a goal scorer for his team. Today, he is a host for MLS 360 on the MLS Season Pass, talking about football.
Bradley started his football journey with Manchester City in England's top league, the Premier League. He then played for several other English teams like Southampton and Charlton Athletic. In 2013, he moved to the United States to play for the New York Red Bulls. There, he became a huge star, scoring many goals and even setting a league record for most goals in a single season with 27! He won the MLS Golden Boot (for top scorer) twice and holds the record for most goals ever scored for the New York Red Bulls. He was also one of only a few players to score 100 goals in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Bradley also played for the England U20 team five times in 2005. Later, he had the chance to play for Jamaica because of his family, but he decided to focus on his club career.
Contents
- Family and Early Life
- Bradley's Club Career Highlights
- International Career
- Personal Life
- Honours and Awards
- See also
Family and Early Life
Bradley Wright-Phillips comes from a famous football family. His dad is Ian Wright, a legendary player for Arsenal and the England team. Bradley's half-brother, Shaun Wright-Phillips, also played football and was even his teammate at the New York Red Bulls for two seasons! Bradley grew up in South London, England.
Bradley's Club Career Highlights
Starting at Manchester City
Bradley was a top scorer for the Manchester City reserve team in 2003–04. He scored his first goal in the Premier League in December 2004, just four minutes after coming on as a substitute. He played 32 games for Manchester City.
Time at Southampton
In 2006, Bradley moved to Southampton. He made a great start, scoring in his very first game! He scored 11 goals in his first season there. Over three seasons, he played 120 games for Southampton and scored 24 goals.
Playing for Plymouth Argyle
After leaving Southampton, Bradley signed with Plymouth Argyle in 2009. He faced some injuries but came back strong.
In December 2010, he scored two goals in a big local derby match against Exeter City, helping Plymouth win 2–0. He scored 17 goals in 32 games for Plymouth.
Success with Charlton Athletic
In 2011, Bradley joined Charlton Athletic. He scored on his debut and even got a hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a 4–0 win against Chesterfield in 2012. He was a key player, scoring 22 goals in 42 matches, helping Charlton Athletic win the 2011–12 Football League One title!
Loan to Brentford
Before moving to the US, Bradley had a short loan spell at Brentford in 2013. He played 15 games and scored five goals.
Becoming a Star at New York Red Bulls
Joining the Red Bulls in 2013
Bradley joined the New York Red Bulls in July 2013. Even though he joined halfway through the season, he helped the team win their first big trophy, the MLS Supporters' Shield. He scored his first goal for them in a 2–0 win against the Houston Dynamo.
Record-Breaking 2014 Season
The 2014 season was amazing for Bradley.
- He scored two hat-tricks against the Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire.
- He scored the winning goal in a friendly game against his dad's old team, Arsenal.
- He broke the Red Bulls' club record for most goals in a single season, scoring 20 goals.
- He equaled the Major League Soccer (MLS) record for most goals in a season with 27 goals!
He continued his scoring streak in the playoffs, but the Red Bulls didn't make it to the final that year.
Continued Success in 2015
After his fantastic 2014 season, Bradley signed a special contract with the Red Bulls. He kept scoring important goals, including two against their rivals, New York City FC, in the first ever Hudson River derby.
He scored two goals to help the Red Bulls win the 2015 MLS Supporters' Shield again! He also scored the winning goal in the playoffs against D.C. United, sending his team to the next round.
More Records in 2016
In 2016, Bradley continued to break records.
- He scored two goals in a huge 7–0 win over New York City FC.
- In his 100th game for the club, he scored a hat-trick in just 27 minutes, the fastest in MLS history!
- He became the Red Bulls' all-time leading scorer with 63 goals.
- He was the first player in MLS history to have two seasons with 20 or more goals.
- He won his second MLS Golden Boot award, being the top scorer in the league.
2017 and 2018 Achievements
Bradley kept scoring in 2017, including goals in the CONCACAF Champions League and the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. He helped the Red Bulls reach the Open Cup final. He also became one of only two players in MLS history to score 15 or more goals in four seasons in a row. In November 2017, he scored his 100th career goal for the New York Red Bulls.
In 2018, he scored his 100th MLS goal, becoming the fastest player to reach this milestone! The New York Red Bulls even announced that they would retire his number 99 jersey after he retired, meaning no other player would ever wear it for the club. This shows how much he meant to the team.
Leaving the Red Bulls in 2019
After six amazing years, Bradley left the Red Bulls in November 2019. He scored a total of 126 goals in 240 games for the club, making him one of the best forwards in MLS history.
Playing for Los Angeles FC
In 2020, Bradley joined Los Angeles FC. He played 19 games and scored 8 goals for them.
Time with Columbus Crew
In 2021, Bradley moved to the Columbus Crew. He scored his first goal for them in the CONCACAF Champions League. He played 21 games and scored 1 goal for Columbus.
Retirement from Football
On 8 March 2022, Bradley Wright-Phillips announced that he was retiring from playing football. The next day, he signed a special one-day contract to officially retire as a New York Red Bull. He then became a "Special Assistant to the Sporting Director" for the club, continuing his involvement in football.
International Career
Bradley played for the England U20 team five times in 2005. He could have also played for Grenada, Jamaica, or Trinidad and Tobago because of his family background. In 2015, both Grenada and Jamaica asked him to play for them, but he chose to focus on his club career instead.
Personal Life
Bradley Wright-Phillips is married to Leann, and they have three children. He also enjoys grime music and has even appeared on pirate radio shows. He got his U.S. green card after the 2016 MLS season, which means he can live and work permanently in the United States.
Honours and Awards
Bradley won many awards and trophies during his career:
Charlton Athletic
- Football League One: 2011–12 (This means his team won their league division)
New York Red Bulls
- Supporters' Shield: 2013, 2015, 2018 (This award goes to the MLS team with the best regular season record)
Columbus Crew
- Campeones Cup: 2021 (A cup played between the champions of MLS and Liga MX)
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11 League One (He was chosen as one of the best players in his league)
- MLS Golden Boot: 2014, 2016 (Award for the top goal scorer in MLS)
- MLS Best XI: 2014, 2016 (Chosen as one of the best 11 players in MLS)
- MLS All-Star: 2014, 2018 (Selected to play in the MLS All-Star game)
- MLS 100 goals club (He scored 100 or more goals in MLS)
- New York Red Bulls MVP: 2014, 2017, 2018 (Most Valuable Player for his team)
- CONCACAF Best XI: 2018 (Chosen as one of the best 11 players in the CONCACAF region)
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year: 2020 (Award for a player who has overcome challenges to perform well)
See also
In Spanish: Bradley Wright-Phillips para niños
