Micah Richards was put in an uncomfortable position on Saturday when it was pointed out live on Sky Sports that he is an Arsenal fan.
Since retiring from playing in 2019, Richards has quickly established himself as one of the top football pundits in UK broadcasting, regularly appearing on Sky Sports and BBC Sport.
Renowned for his player insights and light-hearted banter with fellow pundits, Richards has also earned a reputation as being one of few pundits that 'represent' Manchester City.
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Former players of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have dominated football punditry over the past two decades, so for many Richards' journey into broadcasting has been a breath of fresh air.
Richards came up through the youth ranks at City and made his first team debut as as a 17-year-old. His 10-year stint in the senior set up saw the club swap relegation scraps for title challenges, and he played a key role in City winning the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2011/12.
As is often the case, Richards provided studio punditry during Sky's broadcast of City's Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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City won 1-0 thanks to an Erling Haaland penalty, and so closed the gap between themselves and league leaders Arsenal to two points.
The two sides look set to take the title fight right to the wire, putting Richards in an uncomfrotable sistuation.
After the match, Richards turned to fellow pundit and former City teammate Daniel Sturridge and said: "You're a Gunner aren't you? You're an Arsenal fan?"
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Sturridge retorted: "Yeah, at heart! So are you, aren't you?"
Richards didn't reply and looked a little sheepish, likely confirming that he does still harbour affection for the Gunners.
Richards grew up in Birmingham, but in an interview with Nuts Magazine in 2007 admitted that he grew up supporting Arsenal.
"I was a big Ian Wright fan when I was younger, so I supported Arsenal," he said
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"Wright and Patrick Vieira were my idols so yeah, if the opportunity came to play for them one day I'd take it."
Topics: Arsenal, Manchester City, Micah Richards, Premier League, England, Football