Mark Bright

At 62 years old, Mark Bright has this physical status:

Mark Abraham Bright (born 6 June 1962) is an English former footballer who is now a sports reporter for the BBC, British Eurosport, and Match magazine. He was adopted into a foster family in Stoke-on-Trent at an early age, thanks to his birth to a Gambian father and English mother.

Before joining Port Vale, he played non-league football for local team Leek Town.

He joined the club in the following year but in the 1983–84 season, he spent time in the team, but he would only play in the first team for a short time.

In June 1984, he joined Leicester City in the First Division for a total fee of £66,666.

He didn't have success with Leicester, but he was sold on to Crystal Palace for £75,000 in November 1986.

He helped Palace win promotion out of the Second Division through play-offs in 1989 and then went on to play on the losing team of the 1990 FA Cup final before winning the Full Members' Cup in 1991.

Ian Wright, a good strike partner, played 114 goals in 286 league and cup games for Crystal Palace and was also named on the PFA Second Division Team of the Year in 1987–88 and 1990 as the club's Player of the Year. In September 1992, he was sold to Sheffield Wednesday for £1,375,000, where he would stay for the next five years, scoring a further 70 goals in 170 games in all competitions.

He appeared in the 1993 League Cup final and 1993 FA Cup final, which resulted in losing to Arsenal both times.

He missed his first-team debut in the 1996-1997 season and was loaned out to Millwall, who were also spending time at Swiss club Sion, who were unable to include him in competitive fixtures after failing to reach an understanding with Sheffield Wednesday.

He joined Charlton Athletic in March 1997 and helped the club win promotion to the Premier League with victory in the 1998 First Division play-off final, before he announced his resignation the following year.

He began as a player and appeared on numerous television and radio stations as a pundit.

Michelle Gayle married popstar Michelle Gayle in 1996 and divorced in 2007; they had one son.

Early life

Bright was born in Stoke-on-Trent to Edwin Bright, a forklift truck driver from The Gambia, and Maubeen Bright, a white English woman. Bright and his brother, Phillip, were adopted by his mother in November 1964, and his father offered him up for adoption. He and his brother stayed with Helena Parton during his children's stay with his mother, who divorced Edwin in 1968. Parton stopped caring for the two boys in 1969 after she suffered with health issues, and the boys went to live with a new foster family in Kidsgrove, Bob and Irene Davies, who were new foster parents. Until he left home at the age of 18, the majority of his childhood was relatively happy and stable under their care. The two brothers were a target for bullies and were put together in the same class to make the pair more familiar. The boys were soon accepted by the other children due to their inherent footballing skills. A clumsy attempt to combat the bigotry of the headteacher in a school assembly functioned, and the boys began to be accepted by the other students. Roy Bright, the frontman of rock band Exit State, claims to be Mark Bright's half-brother.

Personal life

In 1995, he met British singer and actress Michelle Gayle, and the pair married in Las Vegas the following year. They separated in 2007, but they remain close as friends. Isaiah, their son, was born in April 2000. Since his retirement in 1999, Bright has run six half marathons, many of whom have participated in the Great North Run. In 2000, he was a regular participant in the London Marathon, raising money for cancer research, the Willow Foundation in 2005, and the Rhys Daniels Trust in 2006.

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Football career

Bright spent a year as a youth-team player at Port Vale before being released at the age of 16. He then played part-time football at Leek Town and for Sunday's Arms, before returning to Port Vale as an amateur in October 1981 on Mason's Arms co-manager Russell Bromage's recommendation. In a 2–0 victory over Torquay United at Vale Park on May 1, 1981, boss John McGrath gave him his complete debut in a goalless home draw with York City two weeks after coming on as a replacement in a goalless home draw against York City on May 1st. He served as an assist for Paul Bowles in the game against Torquay but missed an opportunity to score himself by telling a local reporter that "I was waiting for the ball to bounce rather than having a go straight away." He started working as an apprentice for Staffs Hydraulics in Kidsgrove and went on to sign his first one-year part-time job on £10.50 a week.

He appeared just once in the 1982-83 Fourth Division promotion season, scoring Vale's second goal in a 2–0 home win over Hereford United on October 9th. At the end of the season, he turned down a first full-time career contract deal because it paid less than his factory job, but he did sign a new one worth £110-a-week with appearances and goal incentives, but not before. Bright came to prominence under new manager John Rudge's stewardship, scoring ten goals in 31 games, but it was not enough to keep the club from relegation out of the Third Division. Graham Barnett advised him not to take John Rudge's two-year contract, and the brightest, who was sold to Leicester City for £33,333 in June 1984. Due to a top-up charge, the fee was later doubled. Sheffield Wednesday manager Howard Wilkinson turned down a deal because he had already told Leicester manager Gordon Milne that he would sign for Leicester.

Bright's three-year contract with Leicester spewed his Port Vale pay while also giving him a £10,000 sign-on bonus. During the 1984–85 season, the "Foxes" struggled in the lower half of the First Division table, with Bright limited to 18 appearances and the majority of his time on the bench. Gary Lineker and Alan Smith were the club's established strike team. Lineker finished as the top-scorer of the First Division in 1985, but he was sold to Everton in summer 1985, leaving Bright with a chance to establish himself in the starting eleven at Filbert Street. Bright began the 1985–86 season by scoring two goals in a 3–1 home win over Everton. However, he struggled to match this success for the remainder of the campaign and lost hope, which was exacerbated when a part of the Leicester crowd turned on him with racially inflamed assault.

After receiving medication for sleeping disorders, he was diagnosed with depression at a young age in his career. Milne was promoted to Leicester's general manager at the start of the 1986–87 season, but Bright was not rated by new boss Bryan Hamilton. Bright turned down a bid to Hull City by Brian Horton because he didn't want to move too far north, but Horton advised Leicester to request a transfer because the club was unwilling to allow the club to celebrate 50 club appearances and so trigger another top-up payment to Port Vale.

In November 1986, Bright was sold by manager Steve Coppell to Crystal Palace for £75,000. The first three months were only a temporary three-month contract, meaning that if he was unfit at the end of the period, he would be returned to Leicester. After finishing the trial phase, however, he went on to sign a long-term deal. Ian Wright and Andy Gray, a strong strike partnership, had already existed, but Coppell moved Gray into central midfield to accommodate Bright up front. The "Eagles" were fighting for promotion out of the Second Division, but they failed two points in 1986–87, leaving two points outside the play-offs. In 1987–88, Bright was selected on the PFA Team of the Year and was given the Golden Boot for the highest scorer in the division, despite the club's finish only in second place and two points outside of the play-offs. Palace won promotion to the top-flight after a third-place finish in 1988-89, with Bright scoring in the semi-final victory over Swindon Town, which earned Palace a spot in the play-offs; Palace defeated Blackburn Rovers 4–3 on aggregate to lift promotion to the top-flight.

Palace did well in the First Division, except for the trip to Anfield, where they were defeated by a numbing 9–0 margin by Liverpool, an event Bright described as "numbing." He finished the 1989-90 season with 12 league goals, including a brace against Manchester United at Old Trafford, helping the team finish fifth in the relegation zone. The club's best result in the FA Cup, however, would come as a result of their revenge on Liverpool by beating them 4–3 at extra time in the semi-finals at Villa Park, with Bright scoring the first of Palace's four goals. Manchester United's first ever FA Cup final appearance, they held Manchester United to a replay after an initial 3–3 draw at Wembley Stadium, but lost 1–0 to a late Lee Martin goal as Alex Ferguson won his first trophy as Manchester United's boss. Bright was particularly dissatisfied that he had not participated in the first game because he had not been able to do so. Bright was given the distinction of Player of the Year for the 1989–90 season, which was a point of regret for him.

With a string of seven top-flight goals in just ten midwinter games, Bright displayed his hunting skills at the highest level in the First Division from 1990 to 1991. Bright and Wright's partnership was on display in an 8–0 victory over Southend United at Selhurst Park in the League Cup on Friday, when both players scored hat-tricks. Palace defeated Bristol Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town, Norwich City, and Everton in the Wembley final, with Wright scoring in extra time. Bright continued his good form for Palace in the 1991–92 season, with a total of 22 goals. However, Coppell was unable to properly replace Wright, and Marco Gabbiadini was bought and sold within four months for a loss of £600,000. Bright scored on the first day of the 1992–93 season, the start of the newly formed Premier League, before being sold to Sheffield on Wednesday.

In a cash-plus player swap agreement involving fellow striker Paul Williams that was assessed at a total transfer value of £1,375,000. The Wednesday players were experienced and at the peak of their careers; manager Trevor Francis was determined to win trophies at Hillsborough; and with the highly versatile Chris Waddle in midfield, they could be a good partner to club stalwart David Hirst. Bright played in the League Cup final, losing by a 2–1 loss to Arsenal after scoring six goals in the League Cup. Bright defeated Sheffield United in the FA Cup final on Wednesday, where they will meet Arsenal once more. The final was a disappointment, though Andy Linighan controversially elbowed Arsenal defender Andy Linighan in the chest, resulting in a broken nose. Later, as the scores were still on the last minute of extra time, a heavily backed Linighan leapt from a corner to score the winning goal. Bright phoned Linighan to apologise after the game.

Bright spent three seasons as the club's top scorer and moved to the Premier League in December 2019, scoring 48 goals between 1992 and 1996. He was the Premier League's seventh-highest scorer in 1993–94, with 19 goals. In Francis' last season as boss, he scored 13 goals in the 1994–95 season. He started a new two-year deal in summer 1995 after losing an offer from West Ham United manager Harry Redknapp. Despite playing a complete league game only 15 times, Wednesday finished 15th in the league under David Pleat's stewardship, with Bright scoring 14 goals in all competitions. In July 1996, Pleat paid £2.7 million for Huddersfield Town forward Andy Booth, signaling the end of Bright's time at Hillsborough. Bright was loaned to Millwall in the Second Division and scored on his debut for the "Lions" in a 1–1 draw at AFC Bournemouth, having almost frozen out of the first team during the 1996–97 season.

Bright began training with Swiss side Sion in January 1997. He left Sheffield Wednesday due to late payments and a problem with his transfer fee. Despite being unemployed at Leicester, the club still owed a £60,000 transfer fee, which Sion chairman Christian Constantin refused to pay. Bright received the squad at Stade Tourbillon but was unable to participate in any competitive games. Despite this, he loved his time under Alberto Bigon, as well as Roberto Assis, the elder brother and later agent of Ronaldinho.

Bright started playing for Charlton Athletic in March 1997 on a contract that would continue until the 1996–97 season. In a 2–1 victory over Portsmouth at The Valley on 19 April, he scored a brace in his first appearance for the "Addicks." Bright boss Alan Curbishley was keen on experienced players to expand his youth team, so the club agreed to a one-year contract in the summer. In the 1997-1998 season, he scored seven goals to help Charlton win in the First Division and a spot in the play-offs. Charlton defeated Ipswich Town in the semi-finals and later defeated Sunderland 6–6 on penalties, and the final was decided on penalties after a 4–4 draw; bright started the final but didn't take a penalty in the shoot-out; however, he was disqualified in extra time. He then agreed to a new one-year contract, primarily as a squad player and a former youth coach with a strong youth audience to learn from. Charlton didn't survive in the Premier League, however, and Bright retired from professional football at the end of the 1998–99 season. In his autobiography, Bright said that he earned a total of £1.2 million from his 18-year as a professional player.

Media career

Bright became a football reporter on The Big Breakfast and co-presented The Wright Bright Show with former teammate Ian Wright on BBC Radio 5 Live. He also commentates on some international competitions, often alongside Jonathan Pearce and Steve Wilson on Match of the Day. He has been working as a sports reporter for BBC London News, Football Focus, Battle Talk, 5 live Sport, and Final Score. He has also contributed to Match magazine and British Eurosport with his predictions. He and his former teammate John Salako joined the Crystal Palace academy set-up in summer 2009. In 2019, he was inducted into the City of Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame. In November 2019, he published My Story, from foster care to footballer.

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