Football

Arsenal hero Ian Wright reveals he ‘genuinely hated’ Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel


Ian Wright has revealed he ‘hated’ Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel (Picture: BBC)

Arsenal hero Ian Wright says he ‘genuinely hated’ Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel when they were Premier League rivals.

The duo clashed throughout the 1990s as Arsenal attempted to bridge the gap to prolific winners Manchester United.

While Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won the Premier League title five times during that decade, Wright helped Arsenal win the league for the first time in 1997-98, with United finishing just one point below the Gunners.

Discussing his rivalry with legendary goalkeeper Schmeichel, Wright told the Match of the Day podcast: ‘We get on well, play golf together and laugh about the collisions we had.

‘When we speak about it now, me and Schmeichel, we talk about how much I genuinely hated him as a goalkeeper.

‘I knew how good he was and how hard it was to score against him. The only goals I ever scored against him were in friendlies!’

Wright’s rivalry with Schmeichel boiled over at Highbury in 1997, with the Arsenal icon adding: ‘We’d had a bit of an altercation at Old Trafford which led to this game which was a couple of months later.

Legendary Red Devils goalkeeper Schmeichel (Picture: Getty)

‘The tackle which everybody sees, the whistle had already gone and I just didn’t stop.

‘We’re both running for the ball, the red mist was there and I just jumped on the ball with two feet – they said it was the tackle that shamed football.

‘When I look back at it now, it’s quite an embarrassing thing to see.’

Wright became Arsenal’s record goalscorer during his spell at Highbury and also helped the Gunners win two FA Cups.

Denmark legend Schmeichel, meanwhile, finished his career with five Premier League winners’ medals and having won the Champions League.

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