Former Manchester City star Micah Richards says he will quit his job as a pundit by the time he turns 46. The 38-year-old has been a mainstay of Premier League and Champions League broadcasts for many years and is still only 38 years old.
Instead, Richards plans to have a bigger impact on the grassroots scene, hoping to provide opportunities to underserved areas. As the clock ticks down, World Cup experts remain unsure exactly where his new path will lead. After retiring in 2019, Richards quickly found success as a broadcaster. His infectious laugh made him stand out in the crowd and he quickly struck up an amusing relationship with Roy Keane on Sky Sports.
He is now a regular on programs on the BBC, Sky Sports and CBS, and has also appeared on the podcast ‘Rest is Football’ with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. However, despite the great success, the former defender does not intend to continue working in the same position for a long time.
“By the time I’m 46, I’ll be free of all this,” he told the Telegraph. “You won’t see me in the mainstream media after the 2034 World Cup.
“This will be the last time I appear on the BBC, Sky or CBS. I told them all this and they think I’m joking. I’m not joking.”
“I have dedicated much of my life to football since I left school at the age of 14, but when the time comes I want to make a difference in people’s lives at grassroots level, to help those who need it most, especially young people,” he said.
“I’m from Chapeltown, Leeds. There’s a lot of talent in the area but a lack of opportunity. I want to give something back and that’s my goal. I don’t know what form that will take yet. There’s plenty of time to figure it out.”
“I see a lot of ex-footballers putting their names on foundations, which is great, but I want to do more than just give money to charity or show up at an event once a year. “Hopefully I can keep doing what I do for the next seven years, but make sure it doesn’t get canceled before then!”
Richards has previously joked that his extensive punditry repertoire is due to important decisions he made during his football career. The City academy product decided to turn down an offer to stay at the Etihad in order to find more playing time at Aston Villa before his career was ravaged by injury.
“When I was 17 I was earning £5,000 a week. Manchester City offered me £100,000 a week for five years. I said no because I was second to[Pablo]Zabaleta,” he said.
“This is the worst decision I’ve ever made. Why do you think I work for every broadcaster? I went to Aston Villa, there was less money there.”
