Image: Wikimedia Commons

Billy Wright

English footballer (1924-1994)

PersonDied aged 70humanQ223234

Also known as William Ambrose Wright

Born: February 6, 1924
1
Sources
1.Stated in Find a GraveRetrieved 2017-10-09
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Died: September 3, 1994
1
Sources
1.Stated in Find a GraveRetrieved 2017-10-09
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Birthplace: Ironbridge
Place of death: London Borough of Barnet
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Occupation: association football player
1
Sources
1.Stated in Integrated Authority FileRetrieved 2026-04-20
View statement on Wikidata ↗
, association football coach
Spouse: Joy Beverley
Languages spoken, written or signed: English

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

William Ambrose Wright was an English footballer who played as a centre-back. He spent his entire club career at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The first male footballer in the world to earn 100 international caps, Wright also held the record for longest unbroken run in competitive international football, with 70 consecutive appearances, although that was surpassed by Andoni Zubizarreta's 86 consecutive appearances for Spain (1985–94). He also made a total of 105 appearances for England, captaining them a record 90 times, including during their campaigns at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cup.

Overview

Life at a glance

Positions, education, employers and awards over time

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All data

63 statements · 8% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Sex or gender: male
Member of sports team: England men's national association football team(1946–1959) number of matches played/races/starts: 105 · number of points/goals/set scored: 3
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.(1939–1959) number of matches played/races/starts: 490 · number of points/goals/set scored: 13
Awards: Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Cause of death: pancreatic cancer
Sport: association football
Participant in: 1958 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
Given name: Billy
Manner of death: natural causes
Website: sirbillywright.com
Position played on team / speciality: midfielder
Family name: Wright
Country for sport: England
Coach of sports team: Arsenal F.C.
Start of work period: 1939
End of work period: 1959
Different from: Billy Wright
Name in native language: Billy Wright

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33 identifiers linking Billy Wright across the web's reference databases

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Source last edited October 9, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). Billy Wright (Q223234). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/billy-wright-Q223234