West Ham striker Ian Wright (right) was this week voted at number 162 in the Observer/ Channel 4 300 list of the most powerful people in Britain. The controversial former Arsenal player is deemed to influence more people in Britain than our very own Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, who struggles in at number 269.

Alan Shearer, the English captain, comes in at 198 and 18-year-old Liverpool wizard Michael Owen is ranked the 209th most influential person in Britain. Other sportspeople who make the list include Ruud Gullit, Newcastle United manager, at 214, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson at 221, formula one chief Bernie Ecclestone at 226, David Dein, vice-chairman of Arsenal at 294, and one rung below, Peter Leaver QC, the Football Association's chief executive.

Wright may well be pleased as not only does he top the Taoiseach, but he also comes in above Ireland's wealthiest and arguably most influential man, Tony O'Reilly, who is listed at 218. But joy of joys for the Sunday Times, their editor, John Witherow, comes in kicking at 161, one notch above the footballer.