Haji Wright
Haji Amir Wright (born March 27, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Antalyaspor, on loan from Danish club SønderjyskE. Career. Youth. Known for his finishing, ability to win headers, and quickness, Wright had been dubbed by many media outlets as one of the top prospects in the United States youth system. His success with the under-17 national team prompted him to train with Schalke 04's academy. Professional. New York Cosmos. In March 2015, Wright officially signed with NASL club New York Cosmos for an undisclosed fee and contract length. Wright's contract expired  following the season, and he did not re-sign. During his time at Cosmos, Wright featured in 3 league games, playing a total of 80 minutes. He made his debut versus Indy Eleven on July 26, 2015. Schalke 04. In April 2016, Wright signed with Schalke 04. In his debut with the Schalke under-19 team on April 16, Wright scored a brace against Borussia Mönchengladbach U19. Wright was promoted to the Schalke first team in May 2017. He was named on the bench against FC Ingolstadt 04 on May 20, 2017. In July 2018, Wright underwent a trial period with  2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin. On November 24, 2018, Wright made his debut for Schalke first team when he replaced Steven Skrzybski in the 88th minute of the 5–2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg. VVV-Venlo. In July 2019, Wright joined VVV-Venlo on a free transfer. SønderjyskE. In August 2020, Wright joined SønderjyskE on a free transfer. He got off to a strong start in the league, with 6 goals in 8 appearances by early November, and his performances led to him being named as the Danish Superliga Player of the Month for October 2020. In July 2021, Wright  wanted to move on from SønderjyskE and failed to report back for pre-season training. On July 21, 2021, Turkish club Antalyaspor confirmed that they had signed Wright on loan from SønderjyskE with an option to buy. However, later on the same day, SønderjyskE went out and denied that the deal had gone through because they hadn't yet received any payment. However, a few days later, on July 28, 2021, SønderjyskE confirmed that he had been loaned out to Antalyaspor for the 2021–22 season and also signed a new deal with Sønderjyske until June 2024. International career. Wright is  of Liberian and Ghanaian descent. He has represented the United States at all youth levels. Personal life. Haji's brother Hanif plays on the under-19 team of Bonner SC. Haji's cousins are also active in athletics: Joseph Putu played American Football Cornerback for the Florida Gators, his second cousin, Isaac Nana Addai, played for the Liberia national under-23 football team as well as Boston City FC, and his third cousin, Joseph Addai, won Super Bowl XLI in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts. Honors. New York Cosmos Individual