Micah Richards Named the Player He Would Deliberately ‘Crunch’ Every Time They Met

Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards once revealed the name of the player he used to ‘crunch’ every time they faced off against each other. For all the jokes that Richards is subject to for his ‘burst onto the scene,’ the former Manchester City full-back was once one of the most promising defenders in English football, blessed with incredibly physical attributes and a solid defensive foundation.

At his best, the 36-year-old was a nightmare to play against and played an important role in the Citizens’ first Premier League title win, making 29 appearances in the competition during the 2011/2012 campaign. Despite his qualities, the ex-Fiorentina loanee did state that he used to deliberately lay into one player in particular and explained how, in one meeting, he was left red-faced thanks to a brutal interaction with the man in question.

Micah Richards looks on prior to the Premier League match between Everton FC and AFC Bournemouth.

Micah Richards Named Former Teammate he Wants to ‘Punch in the Face’

Micah Richards is a fun-loving media figure these days, but his competitive urges still sometimes rise to the surface.

Richards Reveals How He Used to Target Daniel Sturridge

The two players came up through the Manchester City academy together

Speaking on an episode of the Rest is Football Podcast back in 2024, Richards revealed how he used to target former teammate Daniel Sturridge with crunching tackles when the two came up against each other. The duo were both products of the Manchester City academy, and Richards, who is now one of the highest-paid pundits in British football, went into detail about how he attempted to rough up the striker.

“I did play against Daniel Sturridge. We were together in the academy at Manchester City. He was the main player back then. But every time he used to play against me, I would go hard on him. Crunch him early doors. But, he was always intelligent. He always used to peel off into little spaces where I wouldn’t want to go. And he never used to get past. I’d foul him if he did.”

Despite asserting dominance in the youth team, Richards did concede that things changed at senior level and recounted a story of how some attempted trash talk towards the former Liverpool frontman ended up proving costly.

“Fast-forward a couple of years. I’m texting him the night before we’re at Anfield. I’m texting saying ‘I’m going to smash you tomorrow, absolutely destroy you,'” the former Aston Villa captain stated.

“‘I was the boss in the academy. You bowed to me.’ First time he got the ball, he absolutely twisted me and I was like ‘this is not the same Daniel Sturridge I remember from the academy.’

“He was just a different level. I’m trying to speak to him throughout the game. You know, like get in his head. He wouldn’t speak to me. Then as soon as he scored – he scored or assisted – he just looked at me and laughed.”

Clearly Richards doesn’t have the gift of the gab to put off his opposition quite like some other legendary names in the sport, as it would appear Sturridge came out with the last laugh.