Nearly a decade after leaving behind England to join Major League Soccer, legendary striker Bradley Wright-Phillips announced his retirement on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old sits sixth on the MLS all-time goals list, tallying 117 goals (with 34 assists) across 234 matches with the New York Red Bulls, LAFC and Columbus Crew.
Wright-Phillips rose to prominence with RBNY from 2013-19, earning the Golden Boot presented by Audi and Best XI honors during both the 2014 and 2016 seasons. While leading the line, Wright-Phillips helped bring three Supporters’ Shields (2013, ‘15, ‘18) to Red Bull Arena.
“I’m done. Thank you to all of the clubs that gave me the opportunity to represent the badge,” Wright-Phillips wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, fan bases for your support (ups and downs) but most of all thank you to my friends and family, especially my wife Leanne.”
Wright-Phillips retires as the all-time leading scorer at RBNY, with his 126 all-competition goals ahead of both Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry. He's also second in all-time appearances at the club, only trailing ironman goalkeeper Luis Robles.
When scoring his 100th goal in August 2018, he became the fastest player in league history to reach that mark. Former New England Revolution striker Taylor Twellman held the record beforehand.
After leaving RBNY, Wright-Phillips spent the 2020 season at LAFC and the 2021 campaign at Columbus. He was a free agent before retiring.
Prior to his esteemed MLS career, Wright-Phillips developed at Manchester City and logged additional stops in his home country at Southampton, Plymouth Argyle, Charlton Athletic and Brentford.
