Socceroo Bailey Wright enjoyed a high-quality season at Sunderland in League One last campaign, and we delve deeper into the numbers and stats behind his performances both for club and country.
Wright played 40 games across Sunderland’s League One season, which ended with a promotion to the Championship in a 2-0 victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the playoff final.
The central defender joined Sunderland from Bristol City in early August 2020 and enjoyed a highly successful second season as he established himself as a key player in the side.
Wright blocked 25 shots over the course of the 2021/22 EFL League One season, the second-most of any Sunderland player behind Tom Flanagan (31).
Meanwhile, the Socceroo also featured heavily on the ball for his side in Sunderland’s build-up play - he made 1,890 passes across the season, the most of any Sunderland player.
He contributed directly to three goals over the campaign in League One - the most in his career in England.
Wright netted the first goal in a 5-0 win over Cheltenham in September 2021 with a good header off a corner, before scoring another opener with his head off a set piece in late February to add to his tally.
The goals helped Sunderland finish fifth on the table on 84 points, which was enough to see them into the play-offs campaign to attempt to gain promotion to the Championship.
He played 90 minutes in their 1-0 home win against Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg of the semi-final, before helping to see them through by playing the full match once again in a 1-1 draw three days later.
In the final, he helped Sunderland to another clean sheet as they prevailed 2-0 over Wycombe.
Wright was the key common denominator in Sunderland’s clean sheets not just in the finals campaign, but throughout the season.
The 29-year-old was involved in 14 of Sunderland’s clean sheets during the long campaign and continued the form as he entered the Socceroos camp in late May.
Wright played his first match for the Socceroos in 966 days in a 2-1 win in a friendly over Jordan on the first day of June and scored Australia’s first goal to draw them level in the 40th minute with a towering header off a Craig Goodwin corner.
The central defender, fresh off a finals campaign at Sunderland, started and played the full 90 once more in a crucial 2-1 victory over UAE in the AFC World Cup Qualification final, before once again completing the match in a 0-0 encounter against Peru in the Inter-Confederation Final, before the Socceroos stunningly won the penalty shootout to gain a spot at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
