Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

"He was horrible" - Micah Richards admits he didn't used to like Gary Neville

Micah Richards confesses he used to resent Gary Neville during their playing days and later because of comments he made about Paul Pogba.

Former Manchester City right-back Richards faced off with Neville, his opposite number at Manchester United, in many fierce derbies in the late 2000s.

After hanging up his boots in 2011, Neville entered the world of punditry and he has been a vocal critic of Red Devils midfielder Pogba since his move to Old Trafford in 2016.

Richards was rubbed up the wrong way by some of these comments and he admits he did not see eye to eye with his old foe.

"I didn't really used to like Gary Neville, to be honest, because of the rivalry between the Reds and the Blues," Richards told The Greatest Game with Jamie Carragher podcast.

"When I worked with him I was like 'actually, he's a nice guy', but playing against him - he was horrible!

"Some of the stuff he used to say about Pogba...

"I didn't want to argue with him, but I wanted to put a couple of things straight because I know Pogba and whatnot. A lot of what he was saying was false."

Richards retired from playing in 2019 and has since become a regular pundit on Sky Sports, meaning he has had to put his rivalry with Neville - another mainstay in the studio - to one side.

The former England defender claims his ill-feeling towards the Old Trafford legend is a thing of the past and that he considers Neville and Carragher friends.

He added: "I was starstruck at the start (working for Sky Sports), because you lot are legends of the game. But now I feel like I can call you my friend."

Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.