Micah Richards has been a familiar face on our screens since retiring from football in 2019, but the former Manchester City BBC pundit has now announced plans to quit punditry by 2034 for grassroots football
Micah Richards at Aston Villa's training ground
Micah Richards at Aston Villa's training ground
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Micah Richards has revealed he plans to walk away from football punditry by 2034.
The ex-Aston Villa right-back has established himself as one of the most recognisable faces in football broadcasting since retiring from the game in 2019.
Knee injuries plagued Richards’ career at Villa, and he was restricted to just 26 league appearances in four troubled years.
In his first-season, and in a particularly dour showing from the team at Wycombe Wanderers, he exchanged words with away supporters during and after the game, fronting up to a fanbase who had clearly just had enough of the club's rotten form. There was an expletive-laden ambush from away fans awaiting the players as they made their way back onto the team bus at the back end of the afternoon, too.
On leaving Villa, he stated: "I’m a footballer and I want to play football, but the knee would just swell up to the point where I couldn’t even train properly. It’s been a difficult few years."
He later expanded on how hard it was to watch his teammates from the sidelines:
"It was hard to write myself off. You keep hoping, you keep training, you keep trying to get back... but your body tells you no. To not be able to help the team when they were struggling was a horrible feeling."
Micah Richards on an exercise bike at Aston Villa's training ground
Micah Richards on an exercise bike at Aston Villa's training ground
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He has since gone on to become one of Britain’s most prominent and best loved pundits. Richards is a regular on Sky Sports and BBC’s Match of the Day. Stateside, he is part of CBS’ immensely popular Champions League coverage.
Richards also hosts The Rest is Football podcast alongside Match of the Day co-hosts Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker.
Currently contributing to the BBC's World Cup coverage, Richards has also become a firm fixture on Gary Lineker's hugely popular The Rest Is Football podcast, which sits at sixth in the UK's podcast charts.
The 38-year-old, who also appears regularly on Sky Sports and CBS throughout the season, has now vowed to call it quits within the next eight years.
"I'll be out of all this by the time I turn 46," he told the Daily Telegraph, reports Wales Online.
"You won't see me on any mainstream media beyond the 2034 World Cup. That will be the last time I am on the BBC or Sky or CBS. I've told them all this and they think I'm joking. I'm not."
Rather than remaining in the spotlight, Richards says he is determined to dedicate the next chapter of his life to supporting those in need.
"I've given so much of my life to football since leaving school at 14," he added.
"But when the time comes, I want to make a difference to people's lives at a grassroots level – to help those who need it most, especially young people.
"I come from Chapeltown in Leeds. It's an area where there is so much talent, but a shortage of opportunity. I want to give something back. That's my aim. I've no idea what form that will take, yet.
"There's plenty of time to work that out.
Former Aston Villa defender Micah Richards
Former Aston Villa defender Micah Richards
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"You see a lot of ex-footballers putting their names to foundation, which is great, but I want to do something more than giving money to charity or showing my face at an event once a year.
"Hopefully I can keep doing what I am doing for the next seven years – and just make sure I don't get cancelled before then!".