Bailey Wright

Bailey Colin Wright (born 28 July 1992) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays either as a centre-back or full-back for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Australia national team. Before moving to Lion City Sailors, Wright played his entire senior career in England, with Preston North End, Bristol City and Sunderland. He was selected for Australia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Bailey Colin Wright (born 28 July 1992) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays either as a centre-back or full-back for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Australia national team. Before moving to Lion City Sailors, Wright played his entire senior career in England, with Preston North End, Bristol City and Sunderland. He was selected for Australia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. ==Club career== ===Preston North End=== In his first season with Preston North End, Wright played predominantly as a centre-half for the reserves and under-18 teams, but was eventually called up to the senior squad in April, sitting on the bench for the club's fixture away to Coventry City. He commenced the 2010–11 season with his debut senior appearance in the first round of the League Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in the Lilywhites' 5–0 win against Stockport County. On 13 December 2010, Wright was handed a two-and-a-half-year professional contract. Wright made his league debut for Preston on 5 March 2011 against Norwich City. He scored his first professional goal for Preston on 7 April 2012 against MK Dons. Wright was voted 'Young Player of the Year' of Preston North End for the 2012–13 season. On 1 May 2013, he was handed a new two-year contract, with the option of staying at Preston North End for another year. Wright won promotion via the play-Offs with Preston in 2015, defeating Swindon Town 4–0 at Wembley on 24 May 2015. ===Bristol City=== On 6 January 2017, it was announced that Wright joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee, signing a -year contract. On 7 January 2017, he made his debut in the FA Cup third round tie against Fleetwood Town. He scored his first goal for Bristol City in a 1–1 draw with Norwich City on 7 March 2017. At the start of the 2017–18 season, Wright was named as Bristol City captain. Wright featured as Bristol City reached the semi-finals of the 2017–18 EFL Cup with wins over Premier League opponents Watford, Stoke City, Crystal Palace and Manchester United. Wright played as City lost in the semi-final tie against Premier League leaders Manchester City. Wright was released by Bristol City at the end of his contract in July 2020¹. ===Sunderland=== Wright signed a six-month loan deal with League One club Sunderland on 21 January 2020. On 2 August 2020, Wright signed for Sunderland on a permanent basis, on a two-year deal. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 2–2 draw with Rochdale on 27 October 2020. On 1 July 2023, Sunderland announced his departure from the club. Wright made 107 appearances in total, serving as club captain. During this time he lifted their first trophy since 1973, the 2020-21 EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium, before earning promotion back to the English second tier for the 2022–23 EFL Championship. Loan to Rotherham United Wright joined fellow Championship club Rotherham United in a deadline day loan move on 31 January 2023. He make his debut for the club on 4 February in a goalless draw against Sheffield United. ===Lion City Sailors=== On 9 July 2023, Wright moved to Southeast Asia to signed with Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors, signing a two-year contract with an optional one-year extension. He made his debut for the club on 11 July in a 1–3 defeat against DPMM. On his return from red card suspension on 31 July, Wright scored a brace in a 5–2 win over Tanjong Pagar United. In his first season at the club, he helped them to win the 2023 Singapore Cup in a 3-1 win over Hougang United on 12 September. He helped the club to win the 2024 Singapore Community Shield in a 2–0 win over Albirex Niigata (S) on 4 May 2024. During the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two fixture against Indonesian club Persib Bandung on 24 October, Wright scored an equaliser after a cross from Maxime Lestienne which ended up in a 1–1 away draw. Despite Maxime Lestienne's equaliser in the 91st minute of the 2025 AFC Champions League Two final against Sharjah, Wright finished as a runner-up after a 1–2 defeat. ==International career== ==Career statistics== ===Club=== ===International=== As of match played 15 November 2017. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Wright goal. ==Honours== Preston North End Football League One play-offs: 2015 Sunderland EFL Trophy: 2020–21 EFL League One play-offs: 2022 Lion City Sailors AFC Champions League Two runner-up: 2024–25 Singapore Premier League: 2024–25 Singapore Cup: 2023, 2024–25, 2025–26 Singapore Community Shield: 2024; runner-up: 2025 Individual Singapore Premier League Team of the Year: 2024–25 ==References== ==External links==

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