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The Game: Player. Pundit. Fan.
‘The game isn’t what it seems from the outside. The game isn’t quite what I was expecting. The game doesn’t always work like the people on television think it does. The game is better, worse and stranger than you can imagine, and that is coming from someone who saw it all with their own eyes.’
Ever wondered what really goes on inside a Premier League dressing room, what it’s like to train under Roy Hodgson, Roberto Mancini and Fabio Capello – and what happens when you kick a sandwich at one of them?
When it comes to football, former Manchester City and England star Micah Richards has seen it all – and laughed about most of it. In The Game, Micah shares his funniest and frankest stories from on and off the pitch, be it arriving at his first England training session with two left boots, attempting to supervise the infamous Mario Balotelli or winding up Roy Keane on Super Sunday. From how he spent his first Premier League paycheque and how he prepared – financially and mentally – for the day they stopped coming, to the euphoria of lifting the Premier League trophy and the physical and emotional impact of injury, Micah reflects openly on the many wins and losses in professional football.
Full of Micah’s signature cheeky wit, this intimate, unmissable memoir goes behind the scenes of the beautiful game and a remarkable life and career.
Ever wondered what really goes on inside a Premier League dressing room, what it’s like to train under Roy Hodgson, Roberto Mancini and Fabio Capello – and what happens when you kick a sandwich at one of them?
When it comes to football, former Manchester City and England star Micah Richards has seen it all – and laughed about most of it. In The Game, Micah shares his funniest and frankest stories from on and off the pitch, be it arriving at his first England training session with two left boots, attempting to supervise the infamous Mario Balotelli or winding up Roy Keane on Super Sunday. From how he spent his first Premier League paycheque and how he prepared – financially and mentally – for the day they stopped coming, to the euphoria of lifting the Premier League trophy and the physical and emotional impact of injury, Micah reflects openly on the many wins and losses in professional football.
Full of Micah’s signature cheeky wit, this intimate, unmissable memoir goes behind the scenes of the beautiful game and a remarkable life and career.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2022
19 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 3, 2025
A thoroughly entertaining window into the life of a footballer/pundit. Laugh out loud funny in lots of places, a great change of pace from a novel, and genuinely raw and honest when it needs to be.
A great read to kick off 2025!
A great read to kick off 2025!
March 10, 2023
Entertaining and funny! A good insight in the life of a footballer coming through the rankings and actually making it. Overall a very solid book, but it can be a little repetitive at times. 4/5.
April 7, 2024
I picked this up assuming it would be easy to read, and it was. It was nice and snappy, although it felt more like it was ghost Rory Smith's words than Richards'. Nonetheless I got through it quickly but felt his experiences didn't add too much to the football autobiography genre, which was slightly surprising as his punditry is distinctive.
Considering he is known for laughing for much of the time he is on camera, this autobiography had a different tone. I suppose the written equivalent of laughing at your own joke is the exclamation mark but this was more understated, with callbacks and phrases like playing for "many top managers, and Remi Garde." If you had not read any footballers' books before this would be an ok one to start with, in that it didn't waste time settling scores, or listing previous scorelines and other statistics. Instead, you got a taste of dressing room life, how transfers work, and the hierarchies in the game.
This was fine, but didn't really cover new ground. The things that mark Richards out as different are his larger than life media persona, and his early peak and retirement. Ironically, he stated that he has to say something different on TV because his words don't have the same authority compared to the pundits who have had better careers, but this book didn't have much that hasn't been covered elsewhere. The dressing room heirarchy stuff has been covered many times, as has agents spreading transfer rumours or Joey Barton being Joey Barton. I'd have liked to read more about how he came to terms with peaking at about 23, or how he felt about having to retire early. Instead it was glossed over as he moved straight into the media, and he discussed retirement and decline in general terms.
But unless you were a Manchester City fan, I don't know why Richards would be the one autobiography you read. It was fine, and the writing itself was good, but if you followed football you would have come across most of the content before. There wasn't enough that marked this out as Richards' autobiography.
Considering he is known for laughing for much of the time he is on camera, this autobiography had a different tone. I suppose the written equivalent of laughing at your own joke is the exclamation mark but this was more understated, with callbacks and phrases like playing for "many top managers, and Remi Garde." If you had not read any footballers' books before this would be an ok one to start with, in that it didn't waste time settling scores, or listing previous scorelines and other statistics. Instead, you got a taste of dressing room life, how transfers work, and the hierarchies in the game.
This was fine, but didn't really cover new ground. The things that mark Richards out as different are his larger than life media persona, and his early peak and retirement. Ironically, he stated that he has to say something different on TV because his words don't have the same authority compared to the pundits who have had better careers, but this book didn't have much that hasn't been covered elsewhere. The dressing room heirarchy stuff has been covered many times, as has agents spreading transfer rumours or Joey Barton being Joey Barton. I'd have liked to read more about how he came to terms with peaking at about 23, or how he felt about having to retire early. Instead it was glossed over as he moved straight into the media, and he discussed retirement and decline in general terms.
But unless you were a Manchester City fan, I don't know why Richards would be the one autobiography you read. It was fine, and the writing itself was good, but if you followed football you would have come across most of the content before. There wasn't enough that marked this out as Richards' autobiography.
August 19, 2023
‘The Game: Player, Pundit, Fan’ by Micah Richards
Book review:
Finally. A football memoir that feels like a breath of fresh air and is actually engaging for once.
‘The Game: Player, Pundit, Fan’ by Micah Richards recounts memories of his time as a former Manchester City full back and England International.
Having ‘burst onto the scene’, this book provides various insights into a very inspirational journey through football.
From memorable highlights of playing for England against Holland in November 2006 (facing up against the mercurial Arjen Robben) to stories of training ground clashes between Roberto Mancini and Samir Nasri, this book is one that I very much enjoyed reading.
Some of the key aspects I liked were:
- Mental impact of being picked last in a 5 a side training game.
- Fining system led by Vincent Kompany
- Support of his Dad who wasn’t pressuring him whilst he was growing up and playing for Leeds City Boys.
- The type of boots you wore said a lot about what type of player you were.
- Money involved in football and how players are perceived.
- Transition from being managed by Mark Hughes to Roberto Mancini and how that impacted how he saw football.
- Division of the England squad along club loyalties.
Sadly Micah Richards’ playing career was curtailed by Injuries, which saw him retire around the age of 31/32.
Micah’s current role broadcasting as a TV pundit is very inspiring. People like him, Alex Scott and Ian Wright are very much modern day trailblazers in showing that you can be your genuine, authentic self without having to conform to existing or old standards.
This book is a necessary read and one that I hope will continue to inspire many more people.
Book review:
Finally. A football memoir that feels like a breath of fresh air and is actually engaging for once.
‘The Game: Player, Pundit, Fan’ by Micah Richards recounts memories of his time as a former Manchester City full back and England International.
Having ‘burst onto the scene’, this book provides various insights into a very inspirational journey through football.
From memorable highlights of playing for England against Holland in November 2006 (facing up against the mercurial Arjen Robben) to stories of training ground clashes between Roberto Mancini and Samir Nasri, this book is one that I very much enjoyed reading.
Some of the key aspects I liked were:
- Mental impact of being picked last in a 5 a side training game.
- Fining system led by Vincent Kompany
- Support of his Dad who wasn’t pressuring him whilst he was growing up and playing for Leeds City Boys.
- The type of boots you wore said a lot about what type of player you were.
- Money involved in football and how players are perceived.
- Transition from being managed by Mark Hughes to Roberto Mancini and how that impacted how he saw football.
- Division of the England squad along club loyalties.
Sadly Micah Richards’ playing career was curtailed by Injuries, which saw him retire around the age of 31/32.
Micah’s current role broadcasting as a TV pundit is very inspiring. People like him, Alex Scott and Ian Wright are very much modern day trailblazers in showing that you can be your genuine, authentic self without having to conform to existing or old standards.
This book is a necessary read and one that I hope will continue to inspire many more people.
October 4, 2025
A note to start, this was my first ebook read. Usually I prefer to handle a proper physical book, and that hasn't changed, however after getting this in a competition for free, the only way I was ever going to read it was if I took the time to actually use my phone and read it. That's definitely played a part in how I view the book in this review, as it's not how I read.
So on to the actual book, and being a footballers biography you generally have an idea as to how it's going to go and feel as a read. Micah's character and personality that you see on Sky/BBC shines through and is clear to see on these (virtual) pages. It's not a long book, although it's taken me longer to read than usual, and is pretty good fun.
Nothing groundbreaking at all, but an entertaining footballer's bio that I'm happy I've read, but it wasn't perfect and to be honest I think I'd have found it less of a drag in places if I'd have read a physical copy. It's going to take me a while to get used to reading ebooks, but I'll do it every now and then to keep my eyes in.
Steady 4/5 for me, rounded up from 3.5/5
So on to the actual book, and being a footballers biography you generally have an idea as to how it's going to go and feel as a read. Micah's character and personality that you see on Sky/BBC shines through and is clear to see on these (virtual) pages. It's not a long book, although it's taken me longer to read than usual, and is pretty good fun.
Nothing groundbreaking at all, but an entertaining footballer's bio that I'm happy I've read, but it wasn't perfect and to be honest I think I'd have found it less of a drag in places if I'd have read a physical copy. It's going to take me a while to get used to reading ebooks, but I'll do it every now and then to keep my eyes in.
Steady 4/5 for me, rounded up from 3.5/5
September 12, 2023
Really entertaining book that gives an insight into players and their mindsets both on and off the field. It is loosely a memoir but also covers themes and observations on players and the game and what motivates those within different roles in football. I would especially recommend for any Man City fans.
January 22, 2025
A refreshing read about the highs and lows of the football industry and being a footballer. A bit repetitive at times but still a page turner.
Rating system:
5 - Absolutely loved it!
4 - Enjoyed it / Interesting read
3 - Good / It was okay
2 - Could be better / Wasn’t that interesting
1 - Why did this even get published?
Rating system:
5 - Absolutely loved it!
4 - Enjoyed it / Interesting read
3 - Good / It was okay
2 - Could be better / Wasn’t that interesting
1 - Why did this even get published?
March 22, 2024
One of the best books I've ever read! Micah's story was extraordinary but he tells it as it in his own words and some of the things he says is hilarious! Would definitely recommend this book to any football fan out there!
June 17, 2024
Honest Account
Quite like Micah as a pundit and league of their own it was good to read his beginnings and life as a footballer especially his version of time at Aston Villa shame the way his football career ended.
Quite like Micah as a pundit and league of their own it was good to read his beginnings and life as a footballer especially his version of time at Aston Villa shame the way his football career ended.
June 24, 2024
well written
Enjoyable read. A fascinating insight into the world of the premiership footballer.The highs and lows and Mario Balatelli. From someone who did it all and managed to come out the other side successfully. A well written, honest and at times very funny story.
Enjoyable read. A fascinating insight into the world of the premiership footballer.The highs and lows and Mario Balatelli. From someone who did it all and managed to come out the other side successfully. A well written, honest and at times very funny story.
February 4, 2023
Love Micah and book was good but a little repetitive.
February 13, 2023
Wow what a open, and honest book about football.
November 10, 2024
really entertaining and funny read, and an interesting look behind the scenes of the football world.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews