Fan-favourite pundit and ex-footballer Micah Richards has revealed that Roberto Mancini’s head was a near miss after kicking some sandwiches at him in frustration, following the ex-Man City manager blaming him for a goal that came through an error by Vincent Kompany.
The close encounter was brought to light in a new content series, hosted by award-winning TV chef and presenter Big Zuu. It explores the five personalities of dedicated football fans and how these are replicated in professional players and managers. These include The Gaffer, The Socialiser, The Pro, The Stirrer and The Pundit, with Micah having unheard stories to tell for each of them.
The five-part series, created by Jameson Whiskey, sees Big Zuu preparing the best matchday meals and Jameson Whiskey cocktails to enjoy whilst watching the football and chat about Micah’s most memorable moments as a player and pundit.
All episodes from the series are launching today on the Jameson Irish Whiskey YouTube channel, with highlights from each of the episodes, including:
- Episode 1 (The Gaffer): This is the episode which Micah reveals how he almost squared Mancini in the head with sandwiches, but this was only because of a mistake by Kompany which Micah wrongly thought the legendary ex-Man City captain would own up to, saying “Kompany, he’s a man of honour, he’s gonna go back in there (changing rooms) and tell them”.
- Episode 2 (The Socialiser): Micah is discussing his friendship with Mario Balotelli at Man City and how the Italian was his wingman on a night out. However, this became a bit difficult when Balotelli was the centre of media attention, with Micah saying, “It got to the stage where he was too famous. He’d ask me if I wanted to come out and I said nope – he kept getting caught!”.
- Episode 3 (The Stirrer): Since working in media, Micah’s banter with Roy Keane has been a joy for viewers to watch and laugh along to. Talking about this relationship, he says, “he’ll probably hate me telling people this, but he’s one of the nicest and most humble people ever”.
- Episode 4 (The Pro): Micah talks about why it is so much harder to be a pro footballer nowadays, saying that social media is the main obstacle that young players need to conquer. As well as this, he talks about these players needing “to be fit, fast, technically good and mentally switched on. So when you make it, fair play to you”.
- Episode 5 (The Pundit): The topic of social media was discussed again, with Micah revealing he only got into punditry following a message from a fan on Instagram, giving him advice on how to ignore internet trolls. He says, “before that, I was never going into media. It was only that one text from someone… it shows you how powerful people’s words can be”.
These are just some highlights from the series, but across all five episodes there are epic stories from Micah’s career, including the infamous Balotelli fireworks incident, Craig Bellamy being a stickler for the rules and Joey Barton’s moments of madness.
In a year that is jam packed with incredible football, Jameson Whiskey is continuing to cement itself as “the spirit” for the football fan to share with their mates on game day. The five limited edition bottles aka ‘The Dream Team’ are based on the five personalities that are discussed throughout the content series, with unique football shirt designs on each of the bottles. They are available to buy at all major retailers today, for RRP £22.95.
