Former Arsenal and England soccer star Ian Wright made a teenage boy’s day last week when he challenged him to a game of Fifa on a gaming console.

The football legend was initially in town with The Sun newspaper, visiting Dover Athletic Football Club as part of a feature due to be published this Saturday.

Former Mercury sports writer Justin Allen, who is now a sports reporter for the Sun, organised the visit to tie in with Dover Athletic’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round game at Eastbourne Borough on Saturday.

Ian Wright is a columnist for the newspaper.

He went out on a Dover Sea Safari with Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter and two if the club’s players Christian Nanetti and Sean Raggett.

Sea sports centre manager James Salmon said: “They wanted to take him on a sea safari so we took them for a spin in the waves.

“They had the FA Cup, worth £1.5 million, which came with its own security team.”
Mr Salmon said the cup went on board the boat for the purpose of filming.

It was between the filming schedule that Mr Wright had some time with 13-year-old Max Salmon, of Church Meadows in Deal, who was completely star-struck.

“A security guy was hugging the cup to keep it safe but it started bashing against the side so we brought the boat back in,” Mr Salmon said.

“Ian Wright was gutted because he wanted to go for a proper spin in it.”
When back on shore, he met Mr Parmenter and a filming crew at Cullins Yard restaurant in Cambridge Road.

He sat down with a pint of Guinness and ordered fish and chips.

Restaurant manager and Spurs supporter Richard Gleeson said: “He was very pleasant, funny, down to earth. He joked with me about Tottenham and Arsenal.

“I told him it was Tottenham’s year to win the FA Cup.

“He stayed for a couple of hours and took time to talk to our staff.”