Micah Richards says he wants to punch Pablo Zabaleta when he sees him – 'His smug face'

Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker were left gobsmacked when Micah Richards admitted he feels like punching ex-Manchester City team-mate Pablo Zabaleta in the face. The former England right-back made the revelation in a jesting manner, though one can hardly blame Richards for feeling some resentment to his old Etihad colleague.

The bombshell came on the latest instalment of The Rest Is Football podcast (via The Mirror) featuring guest Joleon Lescott. And it was during a chat about Sergio Aguero’s legendary last-minute goal against QPR to secure the Premier League title in 2012 that Richards – who watched that game from the bench – shared a surprising confession.

Lineker couldn’t resist teasing Richards as he asked Lescott about “what it was like actually contributing” to the historic moment. However, Richards quickly chimed in with a personal story involving the very man who kept him off the pitch.

“Before you add to this, Jol… Gaz, I was with Zabaleta last night,” he said. “We went to a private event with Man City – he’s such a lovely guy, but every time I look at him, I just want to punch him!”

The comment sent the podcast team into fits of laughter, with Shearer repeating Richards’ words back to him in amazement. But Richards doubled down on the sentiment as he added: “Punch him in his smug, little face. Honest to god!”

Former Argentina international Zabaleta was indeed the one who replaced Richards at Etihad Stadium, where they were team-mates for seven years. The South American played as a right-back, left-back and midfielder after joining City from Espanyol in 2008 but eventually took the right side of defence as his own.

This displaced City academy graduate Richards, with the Englishman making only 18 appearances for City over two of his final seasons before being loaned to Fiorentina in 2014. And Zabaleta’s involvement meant that Richards didn’t earn winner’s medals for City’s victories in the Premier League or the League Cup that year.

Richards holds no grudge, however, especially since more than a decade has passed since his last appearance for the Sky Blues. He can even laugh off the rivalry these days and has done so many times in the past – although there may be some lurking desire for revenge.

Both former colleagues are still heavily involved in football, with Richards becoming one of England’s most popular pundits. Zabaleta, on the other hand, is a pundit himself and has appeared on Match of the Day, while he is currently serving under another ex-City team-mate, Sylvinho, as assistant coach for Albania’s national team.