11 footballers who have appeared on Strictly Come Dancing – and how they performed

Former Premier League star Shaun Wright-Phillips is set to become the latest footballer to swap his boots for ballroom shoes on Strictly Come Dancing. The 24th series of the show is set to start on Saturday.

Wright-Phillips captured attention as a flying winger for Manchester City and Chelsea during his playing days, earning 36 England caps. The 44-year-old will hope the type of movement that saw him jink past defenders can help him on the dancefloor.

He could take encouragement from Karen Carney’s triumph on the show last year. The ex-Lioness stormed to victory alongside Carlos Gu. She became the first footballer to claim the Strictly crown, with Wright-Phillips revealing the advice Carney gave him about the show.

“She said to just dive straight into it and don't hold back,” Wright-Phillips said. “So I’ll take that advice. I’m going to go for it and do the best I can.

“It’s something that’s definitely out of my comfort zone. I don’t get overly nervous in general, but this is obviously something that’s really new to me.”

The retired Premier League icon is used to performing in front of thousands of people but is more accustomed to dancing around defenders. He will be cheered on by his Arsenal legend dad Ian Wright and likely by many of the fans he entertained during his playing days.

Wright-Phillips is not the only sporting star to be part of this year’s Strictly lineup. He is joined by Olympic champion skeleton racer Tabitha Stoecker and 19-time Paralympic gold medalist Sarah Storey. While Carney is the reigning Strictly champion, the previous series also saw ex-Chelsea star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink show off his moves before being eliminated.

The former Man City and Chelsea ace Wright-Phillips will hope to follow in Carney’s footsteps as he prepares to enter the iconic Strictly ballroom. Here is a closer look at how other former footballers have fared during their time on the show.