‘I was terrified by Match of the Day – I’d be begging them to not slate me’
Micah Richards says he used to dread tuning in to watch Match of the Day due to fears he’d be slaughtered by the pundits.
The former Manchester City right back was an early bloomer, breaking into the Citizens’ first team at 17 before establishing himself as a regular starter at 18. For a few years he was tipped to become one of England’s best ever defenders, but injuries and a steep decline in form derailed his fledgling career and he quickly fell out of favour at both international and club level.
Speaking to Match of the Day regulars Gary Lineker, 63, and Alan Shearer, 53, on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards, 35, said he reckons he was let off the hook by TV analysts as a teenager, but once he hit his early 20s the on-screen scrutiny went into overdrive.
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“When I was young, I could do no wrong. Because I was English I think you guys let me get away with it,” he said. “But as soon as you get to 21, 22, 23 that’s when you’re thinking, ‘Oh, Match of the Day tonight, please please, Gary, Alan, Wrighty [Ian Wright], do not slander me please.”
While discussing whether players’ performances are affected by the knowledge that their game is being televised, Richards revealed he used to get a haircut the day before a match if he knew he’d be on telly, much to the exasperation of Shearer.
If Micah Richards had stayed fit would he have stayed at Man City for life? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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“Oh you f***ing k***head,” the Newcastle legend laughed. Richards then went into detail about his favourite trim, saying: “I used to have a side-part, a swizzle. I had all sorts.” An irritated Shearer hit back, asking: “A Swizzle? What the f*** is a swizzle?”
Richards played 245 times for City across a 10 year spell, though the majority of those appearances came in the first half-decade. He left the club in 2015 following a loan spell at Fiorentina, and joined Aston Villa, but spent just one season in the Villains’ first team before being sidelined for the best part of three years with a series of injury problems.
He decided to hang up his boots in 2019 after being released from his contract, at the age of 31.
