• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Micah Richards goes wild and runs around studio after Gareth Bale reveals his toughest-ever opponent

Home> Football> Football News

Updated 10:16 6 Nov 2023 GMTPublished 10:17 6 Nov 2023 GMT

Micah Richards goes wild and runs around studio after Gareth Bale reveals his toughest-ever opponent

Gareth Bale was a recent guest on popular Sky show A League Of Their Own.

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

A delighted Micah Richards ran around the studio when Gareth Bale revealed his toughest-ever opponent on a recent episode of A League of Their Own.

Firstly, let's go back to December 2012, when this story begins. Bale, who was playing for Spurs at the time, sat down in front of a laptop to answer a number of questions from fans on Twitter.

Here, he would open up about his love for golf, as well as his ideal job if he wasn't a professional footballer – a 400m athlete.

Advert

And towards the end of the Q&A session, Bale was asked about his toughest opponent. "He was physically so strong," the Welshman said.

It turns out Bale was talking about then-Manchester City defender Micah Richards, who was, at the time, behind Kyle Walker, Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly in Roy Hodgson's England plans.

Still, Bale was full of praise for the defender. In fact, over a decade later and the subject was brought up again on a recent episode of Sky quiz show A League of Their Own.

Richards, a regular guest on the programme, raised his eyebrow when team captain Jamie Redknapp claimed he and Bale had been playing golf when the former Spurs man said Richards was his toughest opponent.

Advert

As the story was being told, Richards almost had to pinch himself at Bale's admission. "You said that?" he said. "Ask that question again. I want to get this on video."

Bale would once again name Micah Richards as his toughest opponent, prompting the 35-year-old CBS pundit to jump off his chair and run around the studio.

Check out the clip below:

Earlier this year, Richards would describe Bale as "a freak of nature" as he named the former Wales international as his toughest opponent.

Advert

Speaking to Optus Sport, he said: “He [Bale] kept going and going and going and going. Through the first 20 minutes it was sort of even stevens, but as the game goes over 60 or 70 minutes, I’m starting to tire and he is still able to repeat the same numbers he’s doing in the first 20 minutes of the game. So I’m like, how is this possible?

"He was a freak of nature. He was fast, he was skilful and so fit that he would run up and down and before the end of it you’re just too tired to mark him.

"Playing up against Bale for sure he was the hardest opponent I’ve ever faced, and if it wasn’t for Joe Hart, I think it was first game of the season against Spurs, it would have been 5-0. Bale ripped me to shreds.

“He’s the only person I’ve come off the pitch and thought I never want to face him ever again.”

Advert

Image credit: Getty
Image credit: Getty

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.

Featured Image Credit: Sky/A League of Their Own

Topics: Micah Richards, Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, England

Jack Kenmare
Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is the Senior Journalist for SPORTbible, one of the world’s biggest social publishers. He specialises in long-form feature writing and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Football Manager wonderkids from 2005 to the present day. He has a BA (Hons) in Journalism and News Practice.

X

@jackkenmare_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • Getty
    an hour ago

    First Man Utd Player to Touch 'This Is Anfield' Sign Explained Why He Did it

    Manchester United face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

    Football
  • Getty
    an hour ago

    Barcelona Players 'to Take Part' in Unprecedented Protest This Weekend

    Barcelona host Girona on Saturday.

    Football
  • Getty
    2 hours ago

    Zinedine Zidane Names Nine Legends When Building His Perfect Footballer

    Zinedine Zidane named icons he played with and against during his career.

    Football
  • Getty
    4 hours ago

    Cole Palmer Could Be About to 'Cost' Chelsea Huge Sum in Nightmare Scenario

    The Chelsea and England star could cost his club a massive amount of money.

    Football
  • Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer stunned after hearing who Gareth Bale said was his toughest-ever opponent
  • Gareth Bale to front shock takeover bid for English club as 'behind the scenes' talks revealed
  • Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards delivered TV’s funniest-ever segment after the UCL games and it was carnage in the CBS studio
  • Micah Richards leaves the CBS studio speechless after his David Beckham comment goes horribly wrong