Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, believes outspoken Black players face harsh treatment from the media simply because they don’t match the image the media wants them to portray.
According to Ian Wright, the British media love Black players like N’Golo Kanté, who are quiet, humble, and keep a low profile despite their success in the game.
He argued that the same media is quick to crucify Black footballers who are outspoken, enjoy a flashy lifestyle, or openly display their wealth living the luxurious life.
Wright, who has strongly defended Jude Bellingham amid heavy criticism from the British media, said the Real Madrid star is facing the same treatment that was previously directed at Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Paul Pogba, and Jadon Sancho for just being outspoken and flashy.
‘England is not ready for a black superstar’ – Ian Wright launches defence of Jude Bellingham
“I’ll put it in football terms. They love N’Golo Kanté — he’s a humble black man, he gets on with what he’s doing. I’m not saying he’s an Uncle Tom or anything, that’s how his personality is. But if you get a (Paul) Pogba or a Bellingham, and you get that kind of energy, that does not sit well with those people. For someone like Jude, for some reason, it frightens people because of his capability and the inspiration he can give,” he said on the Overlap Show.
Wright added that he is not against the media criticizing players but those criticisms must be based purely on their performance on the pitch and not because they are flashy or outspoken.
“I’m worried for Jude simply because he’s somebody that they can’t control. You can’t control him. Coming off the ‘Who else?’ and what he’s done at the World Cup (European Championship), he’s showing people that ‘I’m here, I’m black and proud and ready to go’. I’m an Englishman, even though when I was younger, people used to say to me, ‘Yeah but you’re not really English, are you?’ — ‘Yeah, I’m English.’ I don’t think they’re ready for a black superstar who can move like Jude’s moving. They can’t touch him, like I just said. He goes out there, performs, does what he does, says, ‘Who else?’ It’s too uppity for these people.
“It’s something that you’re taught as a black man when you’re going out there — you just want to do the best you can and keep your head down and be, for want of a better word, a humble f*****g slave. This is dragging up from that kind of energy. Because if you are outspoken, black, playing to that level and not caring, that frightens certain people — and that’s what’s going to happen with Jude.”
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