When United pulled clear of City I wanted to cry... Richards reveals torment

Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2012 by Dailymail

When United pulled clear of City I wanted to cry... Richards reveals torment
Team ethic: United look like they have sewn up yet another Premier League title

In February this year Richards chose to close his Twitter account after receiving racist abuse. 'I loved Twitter,' he said. 'But I was going to end up saying something that would get me into trouble. I have kept a clean nose for a couple of years and wouldn't want something like Twitter to ruin it.

'I loved the banter with the fans and the thought I was giving something back to the people who support me. But then you get people telling me to go and play for Africa. What do they mean by that? It's so narrow-minded and it's hard to take.

'I have been called the N-word, and the feeling is one of the lowest you can have, especially when I am English. If I was being a pain in the arse and was disrespecting England, then ok , I could understand the anger. But I am English. For people to say these things is hard to take.'

Richards and I met three days before City's weekend defeat at Arsenal. That afternoon not only ended City's title ambitions but also, of course, proved traumatic for team-mate Balotelli, sent off for the second time this season. The two men are contrasting characters but Richards knows how it feels to struggle with the attention that the Premier League brings.

'What happened to me at a young age was a big deal,' he recalled. 'Everything I did was in the papers, similar to Mario now. You can get carried away. I made mistakes but I learned. It's hard.
When you are a footballer and black then people think "young" and "flashy", but when you have come from Chapeltown in Leeds, which is a rough area, and you are doing well and earning decent money, then you want to spend it and look after your family.

'I appreciate what I have and, when people called me flash in the past, it hurt. I read an article not long ago saying I had given up all the bling and was concentrating on my football. Forget the football articles, that was one of the most satisfying things I have ever read about myself.'

Our interview ends with Richards posing for photographs on a balcony outside the hotel. Once again he is howling with laughter. In their young defender, City have a huge asset. He is one of many reasons for the club to be optimistic, despite their recent problems. The conversation ends on a similar note to how it began.

'United used to have Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Berbatov,' he reflected. 'It was terrifying. Now - if you are talking about really special young players - then they only have Wayne Rooney. But as a team they are unbelievable. They know how to win. If we can learn some of what they have then next season we will be twice the team we are now.

'And then we will take some stopping.'

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