The England International Database

Full Name:: William Ambrose Wright
Born:: 6th February 1924, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Died:: 3rd September 1994, London aged 70
England Career:: 1946 - 1959
Positions:: Right Half, Left Half and Centre Back
Clubs (and caps):: Wolverhampton Wanderers (105)
FA Legacy Number:: 658
Career Summary:: Billy Wright (6th February 1924 - 3rd September 1994) was an international footballer who represented England 105 times scoring 3 goals. His first cap was against Ireland on 28th September 1946 at 22 years old, and his last was vs United States on 28th May 1959 aged 35. Wright, born on 6th February 1924, in Ironbridge, Shropshire, has a FA Legacy Number of 658 and played as a Right Half, Left Half and Centre Back for his country.

Notes:: Billy Wright was the epitomy of an England captain in the late forties and fifties. Born in 1924 in Ironbridge, Shropshire, he spent his entire club career at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wright became the first footballer in the world to earn 100 international caps, finishing with 105 appearances for England. He holds the record for captaining England 90 times, including leading the team in three World Cup tournaments (1950, 1954, and 1958). Known for his consistency, Wright played in 70 consecutive England internationals from 1951 to 1959, captaining the side in every match—a record for the national team. His leadership on the field was marked by determination, energy, and respect, earning him a CBE in 1959 for his services to football. Wright’s enduring legacy sees him ranked among the greatest England players, with his international records standing for decades until surpassed by players like Bobby Charlton. His superstar marriage to Joy Beverley of the Beverley sisters in 1958 thrust him into the spotlight even more, and by the end of his career he was a household name.

England Career Statistics

Debut:: v Ireland (HC) on 28th September 1946 aged 22 years, 7 months, 22 days
Last Cap:: v United States (FR) on 28th May 1959 aged 35 years, 3 months, 22 days
First Goal:: v France (FR) on 22nd May 1949 aged 25 years, 3 months, 16 days
First Captaincy:: v Ireland (HC) on 9th October 1948 aged 24 years, 8 months, 3 days
Career Length:: 12 years, 242 days
Starts:: 105
Substitute:: 0
Withdrawn:: 0
Full Games:: 105

England Match Statistics

British Home ChampionshipHC 32 1 26 0 0
FriendlyFR 53 2 44 0 0
World Cup QualifierWCQ 10 0 10 0 0
World Cup FinalsWCF 10 0 10 0 0
Competitive 52 1 46 0 0

Home, Away or Neutral
Caps
Goals
Captaincies

Away 55 2 46 0 0
Home 41 1 35 0 0
Neutral 9 0 9 0 0

Match Results
Caps
Goals
Captaincies

Won 60 3 49 0 0
Drawn 23 0 20 0 0
Lost 21 0 20 0 0
Abandoned 1 0 1 0 0

Playing Positions
Caps
Goals
Captaincies

Right Half 51 2 40 0 0
Centre Back 46 0 46 0 0
Left Half 8 1 4 0 0

Managers
Caps
Goals
Captaincies

Walter Winterbottom 105 3 90 0 0

Totals
105
3
90
0
0

England Team Mates (Top 10)

Tom Finney
74 Matches

Jimmy Dickinson
46 Matches

Stanley Matthews
37 Matches

Roger Byrne
33 Matches

Johnny Haynes
32 Matches

Nat Lofthouse
32 Matches

Ronnie Clayton
30 Matches

Alf Ramsey
29 Matches

Neil Franklin
27 Matches

Stan Mortensen
25 Matches

Sources

An English Football Internationals' Who's Who by Douglas Lamming (Hutton Press 1990)
England's Who's Who by Tony Matthews (Pitch Publishing 2013)
256 sources from 105 matchesSelect from match list to see sources.

Match List

USA, 8 - 1, 28th May 1959 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 105.
Age: 35 years, 3 months, 22 days.
MEX, 1 - 2, 24th May 1959 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 104.
Age: 35 years, 3 months, 18 days.
PER, 1 - 4, 17th May 1959 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 103.
Age: 35 years, 3 months, 11 day.
BRA, 0 - 2, 13th May 1959 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 102.
Age: 35 years, 3 months, 7 days.
ITA, 2 - 2, 6th May 1959 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 101.
Age: 35 years, 3 months, 0 days.
SCO, 1 - 0, 11th Apr 1959 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 100.
Age: 35 years, 2 months, 5 days.
WAL, 2 - 2, 26th Nov 1958 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 99.
Age: 34 years, 9 months, 20 days.
URS, 5 - 0, 22nd Oct 1958 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 98.
Age: 34 years, 8 months, 16 days.
NIR, 3 - 3, 4th Oct 1958 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 97.
Age: 34 years, 7 months, 27 days.
URS, 0 - 1, 17th Jun 1958 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 96.
Age: 34 years, 4 months, 11 day.
AUT, 2 - 2, 15th Jun 1958 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 95.
Age: 34 years, 4 months, 9 days.
BRA, 0 - 0, 11th Jun 1958 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 94.
Age: 34 years, 4 months, 5 days.
URS, 2 - 2, 8th Jun 1958 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 93.
Age: 34 years, 4 months, 2 days.
URS, 1 - 1, 18th May 1958 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 92.
Age: 34 years, 3 months, 12 days.
YUG, 0 - 5, 11th May 1958 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 91.
Age: 34 years, 3 months, 5 days.
POR, 2 - 1, 7th May 1958 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 90.
Age: 34 years, 3 months, 1 day.
SCO, 4 - 0, 19th Apr 1958 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 89.
Age: 34 years, 2 months, 13 days.
FRA, 4 - 0, 27th Nov 1957 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 88.
Age: 33 years, 9 months, 21 day.
NIR, 2 - 3, 6th Nov 1957 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 87.
Age: 33 years, 9 months, 0 days.
WAL, 4 - 0, 19th Oct 1957 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 86.
Age: 33 years, 8 months, 13 days.
IRL, 1 - 1, 19th May 1957 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 85.
Age: 33 years, 3 months, 13 days.
DEN, 4 - 1, 15th May 1957 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 84.
Age: 33 years, 3 months, 9 days.
IRL, 5 - 1, 8th May 1957 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 83.
Age: 33 years, 3 months, 2 days.
SCO, 2 - 1, 6th Apr 1957 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 82.
Age: 33 years, 2 months, 0 days.
DEN, 5 - 2, 5th Dec 1956 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 81.
Age: 32 years, 9 months, 28 days.
YUG, 3 - 0, 28th Nov 1956 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 80.
Age: 32 years, 9 months, 22 days.
WAL, 3 - 1, 14th Nov 1956 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 79.
Age: 32 years, 9 months, 8 days.
NIR, 1 - 1, 6th Oct 1956 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 78.
Age: 32 years, 8 months, 0 days.
FRG, 3 - 1, 26th May 1956 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 77.
Age: 32 years, 3 months, 20 days.
FIN, 5 - 1, 20th May 1956 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 76.
Age: 32 years, 3 months, 14 days.
SWE, 0 - 0, 16th May 1956 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 75.
Age: 32 years, 3 months, 10 days.
BRA, 4 - 2, 9th May 1956 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 74.
Age: 32 years, 3 months, 3 days.
SCO, 1 - 1, 14th Apr 1956 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 73.
Age: 32 years, 2 months, 8 days.
ESP, 4 - 1, 30th Nov 1955 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 72.
Age: 31 years, 9 months, 24 days.
NIR, 3 - 0, 2nd Nov 1955 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 71.
Age: 31 years, 8 months, 25 days.
WAL, 1 - 2, 22nd Oct 1955 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 70.
Age: 31 years, 8 months, 16 days.
DEN, 5 - 1, 2nd Oct 1955 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 69.
Age: 31 years, 7 months, 25 days.
POR, 1 - 3, 22nd May 1955 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 68.
Age: 31 years, 3 months, 16 days.
ESP, 1 - 1, 18th May 1955 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 67.
Age: 31 years, 3 months, 12 days.
FRA, 0 - 1, 15th May 1955 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 66.
Age: 31 years, 3 months, 9 days.
SCO, 7 - 2, 2nd Apr 1955 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 65.
Age: 31 years, 1 month, 25 days.
FRG, 3 - 1, 1st Dec 1954 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 64.
Age: 30 years, 9 months, 24 days.
WAL, 3 - 2, 10th Nov 1954 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 63.
Age: 30 years, 9 months, 4 days.
NIR, 2 - 0, 2nd Oct 1954 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 62.
Age: 30 years, 7 months, 25 days.
URU, 2 - 4, 26th Jun 1954 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 61.
Age: 30 years, 4 months, 20 days.
SUI, 2 - 0, 20th Jun 1954 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 60.
Age: 30 years, 4 months, 14 days.
BEL, 4 - 4, 17th Jun 1954 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 59.
Age: 30 years, 4 months, 11 day.
HUN, 1 - 7, 23rd May 1954 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 58.
Age: 30 years, 3 months, 17 days.
YUG, 0 - 1, 16th May 1954 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 57.
Age: 30 years, 3 months, 10 days.
SCO, 4 - 2, 3rd Apr 1954 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 56.
Age: 30 years, 1 month, 26 days.
HUN, 3 - 6, 25th Nov 1953 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 55.
Age: 29 years, 9 months, 19 days.
NIR, 3 - 1, 11th Nov 1953 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 54.
Age: 29 years, 9 months, 5 days.
UEFA, 4 - 4, 21st Oct 1953 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 53.
Age: 29 years, 8 months, 15 days.
WAL, 4 - 1, 10th Oct 1953 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 52.
Age: 29 years, 8 months, 4 days.
USA, 6 - 3, 8th Jun 1953 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 51.
Age: 29 years, 4 months, 2 days.
URU, 1 - 2, 31st May 1953 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 50.
Age: 29 years, 3 months, 25 days.
CHI, 2 - 1, 24th May 1953 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 49.
Age: 29 years, 3 months, 18 days.
ARG, 0 - 0, 17th May 1953 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 48.
Age: 29 years, 3 months, 11 day.
SCO, 2 - 2, 18th Apr 1953 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 47.
Age: 29 years, 2 months, 12 days.
BEL, 5 - 0, 26th Nov 1952 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 46.
Age: 28 years, 9 months, 20 days.
WAL, 5 - 2, 12th Nov 1952 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 45.
Age: 28 years, 9 months, 6 days.
IRE, 2 - 2, 4th Oct 1952 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 44.
Age: 28 years, 7 months, 27 days.
SUI, 3 - 0, 28th May 1952 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 43.
Age: 28 years, 3 months, 22 days.
AUT, 3 - 2, 25th May 1952 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 42.
Age: 28 years, 3 months, 19 days.
ITA, 1 - 1, 18th May 1952 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 41.
Age: 28 years, 3 months, 12 days.
SCO, 2 - 1, 5th Apr 1952 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 40.
Age: 28 years, 1 month, 28 days.
AUT, 2 - 2, 28th Nov 1951 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 39.
Age: 27 years, 9 months, 22 days.
IRE, 2 - 0, 14th Nov 1951 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 38.
Age: 27 years, 9 months, 8 days.
WAL, 1 - 1, 20th Oct 1951 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 37.
Age: 27 years, 8 months, 14 days.
FRA, 2 - 2, 3rd Oct 1951 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 36.
Age: 27 years, 7 months, 26 days.
ARG, 2 - 1, 9th May 1951 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 35.
Age: 27 years, 3 months, 3 days.
SCO, 2 - 3, 14th Apr 1951 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 34.
Age: 27 years, 2 months, 8 days.
IRE, 4 - 1, 7th Oct 1950 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 33.
Age: 26 years, 8 months, 1 day.
ESP, 0 - 1, 2nd Jul 1950 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 32.
Age: 26 years, 4 months, 25 days.
USA, 0 - 1, 29th Jun 1950 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 31.
Age: 26 years, 4 months, 23 days.
CHI, 2 - 0, 25th Jun 1950 (WCF) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 30.
Age: 26 years, 4 months, 19 days.
BEL, 4 - 1, 18th May 1950 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 29.
Age: 26 years, 3 months, 12 days.
POR, 5 - 3, 14th May 1950 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 28.
Age: 26 years, 3 months, 8 days.
SCO, 1 - 0, 15th Apr 1950 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 27.
Age: 26 years, 2 months, 9 days.
ITA, 2 - 0, 30th Nov 1949 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 26.
Age: 25 years, 9 months, 24 days.
IRE, 9 - 2, 16th Nov 1949 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 25.
Age: 25 years, 9 months, 10 days.
WAL, 4 - 1, 15th Oct 1949 (WCQ) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 24.
Age: 25 years, 8 months, 9 days.
IRL, 0 - 2, 21st Sep 1949 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 23.
Age: 25 years, 7 months, 15 days.
FRA, 3 - 1, 22nd May 1949 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 22.
Age: 25 years, 3 months, 16 days.
NOR, 4 - 1, 18th May 1949 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 21.
Age: 25 years, 3 months, 12 days.
SWE, 1 - 3, 13th May 1949 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 20.
Age: 25 years, 3 months, 7 days.
SCO, 1 - 3, 9th Apr 1949 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 19.
Age: 25 years, 2 months, 3 days.
SUI, 6 - 0, 2nd Dec 1948 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 18.
Age: 24 years, 9 months, 25 days.
WAL, 1 - 0, 10th Nov 1948 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 17.
Age: 24 years, 9 months, 4 days.
IRE, 6 - 2, 9th Oct 1948 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 16.
Age: 24 years, 8 months, 3 days.
DEN, 0 - 0, 26th Sep 1948 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 15.
Age: 24 years, 7 months, 20 days.
ITA, 4 - 0, 16th May 1948 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 14.
Age: 24 years, 3 months, 10 days.
SCO, 2 - 0, 10th Apr 1948 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 13.
Age: 24 years, 2 months, 4 days.
SWE, 4 - 2, 19th Nov 1947 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 12.
Age: 23 years, 9 months, 13 days.
IRE, 2 - 2, 5th Nov 1947 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 11.
Age: 23 years, 8 months, 28 days.
WAL, 3 - 0, 18th Oct 1947 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 10.
Age: 23 years, 8 months, 12 days.
BEL, 5 - 2, 21st Sep 1947 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 9.
Age: 23 years, 7 months, 15 days.
POR, 10 - 0, 25th May 1947 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 8.
Age: 23 years, 3 months, 19 days.
SUI, 0 - 1, 18th May 1947 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 7.
Age: 23 years, 3 months, 12 days.
FRA, 3 - 0, 3rd May 1947 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 6.
Age: 23 years, 2 months, 26 days.
SCO, 1 - 1, 12th Apr 1947 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 5.
Age: 23 years, 2 months, 6 days.
NED, 8 - 2, 27th Nov 1946 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 4.
Age: 22 years, 9 months, 21 day.
WAL, 3 - 0, 13th Nov 1946 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 3.
Age: 22 years, 9 months, 7 days.
IRL, 1 - 0, 30th Sep 1946 (FR) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 2.
Age: 22 years, 7 months, 24 days.
IRE, 7 - 2, 28th Sep 1946 (HC) Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cap: 1.
Age: 22 years, 7 months, 22 days.
* Match was concluded via extra time, penalties or both.