Ian Wright 'lost respect' for Sir Alex Ferguson for comment after Peter Schmeichel clash
Ian Wright once revealed that he lost respect for Sir Alex Ferguson following a comment made by the manager after a series of clashes with Peter Schmeichel
Arsenal icon Ian Wright was no stranger to a battle with Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel back in the 1990s but it was a comment made by Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson that left a sour taste.
Two clashes during in the 1996-97 season left things hostile between the pair with Wright claiming that Schmeichel racially abused him - which Schmeichel has always denied.
In a later altercation, Wright jumped in studs first on the United shot-stopper in what was viewed as a revenge attack following the alleged comment. It led to a row in the tunnel with Fergie accusing the English striker of 'playing the race card'.
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Wright revealed all about the incident in his 2016 autobiography 'Ian Wright: A Life In Football', saying: "In November 1996 during a game he [Schmeichel] yelled at me.
"The following February, I did go in hard on Schmeichel, but he made a meal of it. After the second game, I met then Old Trafford chief Alex Ferguson. He said: 'I never had you as a race card player.' That particularly upset me. I told him I wasn’t, but I don’t know if he believed me. I lost a bit of respect for him that day."
Despite the rivalry, Wright revealed on the Match of the Day Top 10 podcast back in 202 that he had made up with Schmeichel, who turned 61 this week. "We get on well and play golf now," Wright said.
"We laugh about it - when we speak about it, we always 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. I just couldn't score against him, the goals I scored against him were in friendlies."