Ex-Arsenal star Ian Wright quietly funds women’s soccer player’s ACL rehab after Stoke City failed to pay

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has been financially supporting Kayleigh McDonald during her recovery from an ACL tear for the last four months, stepping up after McDonald’s then-club Stoke City said she would have to pay out of pocket following the injury.

McDonald, now a free agent, tore her ACL in March 2024 while playing for the third division side, who she said told her to join the National Health Service’s waiting list to receive treatment. Seeking a quicker operation, as is customary in professional sports, requires seeking private medical care and McDonald discovered it would cost her upwards of $25,000. She launched a GoFundMe in April of that year.

“So sad to say that just when I thought the women’s game was finally getting somewhere, I receive the worst news that I will have to join the NHS waiting list for surgery after an injury I sustained playing a league game for my club,” McDonald wrote on GoFundMe, per the Guardian. “I have suffered more mentally than physically with this injury, especially the fact it’s going to inevitably end my football career. I’m currently off work, not able to walk, not earning any money but still having the burden of paying my bills. Just to see a consultant, it’s over a month of waiting time. I won’t be able to live financially.”

The fundraiser gained enough traction online, which is how Wright caught wind of the situation, per the Telegraph. Wright then hired a sports lawyer to represent McDonald and Stoke reversed course, footing the bill for surgery in May. Stoke were then only willing to pay for McDonald’s rehabilitation until November but agreed to pay for sessions in December after Wright intervened. He has been paying for McDonald’s rehab since January, which costs around $2,300 a month.

“Stoke said they don’t think I was where I should be and that they would like to take over my rehab because they really cared about me, which I was a bit baffled by because they didn’t once check in on me,” McDonald told the Times. “Ian started paying in January and is paying for my rehab now.”

Wright never publicly shared that he was helping McDonald, nor did he ask her to comment on it or return the favor in any way.

“He or any of his team have never said, ‘Can you say this about it?’” McDonald said. “I once messaged when he first helped me and I said, ‘Do you mind if I give Ian a little shout out on Twitter?’ And he said, ‘If you want to, but don’t feel you need to.’ I’ve never felt that he wanted anything from me.”

The story only came to light this week after Eniola Aluko, the former England women’s national team player, said male analysts like Wright block opportunities for women in broadcasting. Many came to Wright’s defense, in part because he has only occasionally been an analyst for women’s soccer matches but also because the Premier League winner has been a staunch supporter of the women’s game.

The ex-Arsenal star was on site at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where England finished second, but was chiefly there as a fan and only covered two games for broadcasters. Wright has also backed women’s soccer in other ways, most notably partnering with Barclays to launch the Ian Wright Coaching Fund in 2023. The fund, which also received a nearly $20,000 donation from Wright himself, aims to increase the number of women in coaching roles at the grassroots level and has supported as many as 664 coaches for their level one training course.

“He’s a normal guy,” McDonald said. “He’s a legend and just seems such a genuine person with a heart. He’s passionate about the women’s game. I don’t think people give him enough credit for what he does. I feel like we can’t win. Years ago, all we would have wanted was the men to be jumping in, raising awareness and bringing more fans over to the women’s game. Then you’ve got someone who’s so passionate about the women’s game — and you can tell he’s passionate. He knows every single player in the Women’s Super League. He’s not just doing a bit of research, he genuinely does love women’s football. All my mates [from women’s football], some are ex-Ireland or ex-England players, they call him ‘Uncle Ian’ now because of what he’s done.”