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    Wright fights back tears as he’s presented with parting gift on final MOTD show

    Arsenal icon Ian Wright was left teary-eyed as he bid an emotional farewell to Match of the Day.

    The 60-year-old made his last outing on the iconic footy highlight show on Sunday having made his first appearance in 1997.

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    Wright cut an emotional figure on his final Match of the Day appearanceCredit: https://x.com/BBCMOTD

    And towards the end of the programme, Wright was given a parting gift by colleagues Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.

    Boasting the Match of the Day logo, the cap – similar to ones presented to international players – also included the dates 1997-2024, signifying his first and last outings as an analyst.

    And Arsenal hero Wright, was clearly taken aback. “Oh my God, thank you. I’m not going to look at the cameras now.”

    Later on, after dissecting the final Premier League weekend, an emotional Wright discussed just what the show means to him.

    Fighting back the tears, he said: “I’m going to miss you guys. I really am.

    “This has been the greatest for me. Match of the Day means the whole world to me, you lot don’t even know.

    “I’ve got my eight, nine, ten [tattoos with the shirt numbers of Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer], my two guys who I love so much on there.

    Wright was handed a special cap by his colleagues to honour his time working for MOTD

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    Wright was handed a special cap by his colleagues to honour his time working for MOTDCredit: https://x.com/BBCMOTD
    The Arsenal icon was instantly left fighting back the tears

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    The Arsenal icon was instantly left fighting back the tearsCredit: https://x.com/BBCMOTD
    He made his first MOTD appearance in 1997, before becoming a regular from 2002

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    He made his first MOTD appearance in 1997, before becoming a regular from 2002Credit: https://x.com/BBCMOTD

    “People laugh at me for getting my eight, nine, ten, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, but it’s because I love you, man. You’re my guys.”

    To which host Lineker quipped: “We’ll see you next week at the [FA] Cup final, I know you’ll be about 200 yards from us [working for ITV], but we’ll see you then at least.

    Resurfaced Match of the Day clip shows how Ian Wright was right about Arsenal hiring Mikel Arteta over the likes of Luis Enrique, Max Allegri & Brenden Rodgers

    “But it’s been at absolute pleasure and a delight to work with you for so long.

    “You’re a breathe of fresh air and you always have been. Thank you.”

    Sadly for Wright, his beloved Gunners failed to end their 20-year wait for a Premier League title, as Manchester City defended their crown on the final day.

    The Gunners fought back to beat Everton 2-1, but it is the Citizens who have scooped a historic fourth consecutive championship having eased past West Ham at the Etihad.

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