has written a piece for the Players Tribune and he and his ghost writer have done a hell of a job
One of the few things my brother and I looked forward to in the house was Match of the Day, and my stepdad used to take that away from us — just because he could. Depending on what mood he was in, he’d come into the bedroom just before it started and he’d say, “Turn around. Turn around to the wall.”
We had to face the wall the whole time Match of the Day was on. And the really cruel thing was that we could still hear everything. It was awful. I would cry myself to sleep whenever he did it. Proper, big, blubbering tears. I remember Maurice would have to cover my ears so the football sounds would stop torturing me. He’d tried rocking me to calm me down, covering my ears. And then finally he’d do what all big brothers do, he’d shout, “Stop crying! Stop crying!”
You know when you’re crying and someone is telling you to stop? You end up making that choking noise that gets you in your chest and your throat. It sounds like you’re wheezing. Imagine that. It was so unnecessary. I carried that with me for years. Whenever I heard the Match of the Day theme music come on, I would feel that pain in my chest. And I’ll be honest with you, it still gets to me every now and again. The first time I went on the show as a presenter, Des Lynam walked up to me and said, “Ian Wright, welcome to Match of the Day.” I nearly broke down crying.
I told Des, “This is my Graceland.”
We had to face the wall the whole time Match of the Day was on. And the really cruel thing was that we could still hear everything. It was awful. I would cry myself to sleep whenever he did it. Proper, big, blubbering tears. I remember Maurice would have to cover my ears so the football sounds would stop torturing me. He’d tried rocking me to calm me down, covering my ears. And then finally he’d do what all big brothers do, he’d shout, “Stop crying! Stop crying!”
You know when you’re crying and someone is telling you to stop? You end up making that choking noise that gets you in your chest and your throat. It sounds like you’re wheezing. Imagine that. It was so unnecessary. I carried that with me for years. Whenever I heard the Match of the Day theme music come on, I would feel that pain in my chest. And I’ll be honest with you, it still gets to me every now and again. The first time I went on the show as a presenter, Des Lynam walked up to me and said, “Ian Wright, welcome to Match of the Day.” I nearly broke down crying.
I told Des, “This is my Graceland.”
Comment