The pair were our panel on Matchday Live for Tuesday night’s Champions League trip to Slovan Bratislava and with Tuesday representing the first day of Black History Month, presenter Natalie Pike took the opportunity to ask them about their past.
Both Onuoha and Wright-Phillips made it clear that they wouldn’t have become professional footballers and gone on to successful media careers without the influence of their families early on in their lives.
Speaking first, Wright-Phillips said: “Off the pitch, my biggest inspiration was my mother. What my mum did when me and my brother was younger, she worked two jobs and made everything possible for our football.
“When I was younger there weren’t many options on the pitch, I only started Sunday league when I was 12 or 13. The more people of different cultures and colours there are in the league, the more motivation it is for youngsters in those cultures.”
Onuoha echoed his former team-mate’s sentiments: “I’d like to speak about my mum and dad as well. They came over from Nigeria. We were one of the first black families in the area around the stadium.
“As I now sit here as a father of three, I see how hard it was for them. From a football standpoint, I realise some of my favourite players looked like me, Ian Wright, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira, he was like a god to me!
“To play with him here at City was incredible, I was star-struck. And then, who I wanted to be like, was Shaun!”
Watch the pair recount their inspirations above...
Black History Month
October is Black History Month in the UK.
Across the month we will be celebrating, honouring and remembering the contributions of Black people throughout Manchester City’s history.
Keep your eyes peeled on mancity.com and our official app for features, videos and interviews over the coming weeks.
Click here to see our best Black History Month content from recent years.
