Micah Richards suffered a blunder alongside colleague Alan Shearer and host Gary Lineker (Image: BBC)
Micah Richards experienced a hiccup moments before going live on air on Match of the Day – forcing him to cleverly mask a tear in his attire. The exuberant former Manchester City, Aston Villa, and England defender has lent his expertise as a pundit to the BBC since hanging up his boots in 2019 and has become a fixture on Match of the Day since 2021.
Known for his robust defending during his playing days, it was Richard’s muscular build that let him down as he geared up for his live TV appearance alongside veterans Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
In a bit of last-minute drama right before broadcasting, Shearer spotted the ill-fated rip just below Richards’ arm – with no spare moment for outfit changes.
Recounting the incident on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker kicked off by sharing: “We were all together yesterday [Saturday], weren’t we? For Match of the Day, it was a long one because it was remembrance weekend, and we didn’t go on until after 11 p.m. Micah, would you like to tell us what happened to you just before we went on air?”
Richards, not shying away from the embarrassing episode, obliged: “Basically, I went to my dressing room; when I say dressing room, I don’t want to make out we’ve got some lush dressing room. I mean, BBC is obviously brilliant to work for, but it’s more like a changing room.
“I’ve gone there, I’ve put on me spray, I’ve ironed my gear, looking fantastic, if I do say myself; as soon as I get to the studio, I just see Alan [Shearer] grinning. I’m like, ‘What’s he grinning at now?’
“He said, ‘You’ve got a hole in your top’, and I think obviously he was pulling my leg, and he said, ‘No, I’m being serious’. I pull it up, and I’ve got a massive hole I couldn’t move! I was so self-conscious it was horrible.”
Richards made sure to cover up the rip (Image: BBC)
Richards, known for his dynamic presence on air, found himself unusually restricted due to the wardrobe malfunction, prompting Lineker to tease him about his subdued behaviour.
“I saw you, because you normally do quite a lot of mannerisms with your arms and stuff, but you had a big split underneath your armpit of your shirt,” Lineker observed. “It was so close to the show you didn’t even have time to get another shirt.
“That’s what happens when you’ve got guns like that, Micah,” Lineker quipped, poking fun at Richards’ muscular build, which led to Shearer jokingly calling him ‘the Hulk’ amidst laughter.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1974572/match-of-day-micah-richards-lineker