Wayne Rooney has recalled seeing Micah Richards celebrate his 50th Premier League appearance at a Chinese restaurant.
From 2005 to 2015, Richards was playing for Manchester City while Rooney starred for their arch-rivals Manchester United.
The duo faced each other on 11 occasions during that period, with United winning eight of those Premier League meetings.
While the two sides are fierce rivals, there’s always a chance that opposition players can bump into each other in the city when winding down off the pitch.
And when Gary Lineker asked Rooney and Richards on the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup final if they ever came across each other, it led to the studio bursting into laughter.
“We did, didn’t we? A couple of times, he was a big’un in Manchester back in those days,” said Richards.
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Rooney went on to explain: “I’d actually seen Micah in Wing’s Chinese restaurant, I was in there with family, quiet meal.
“Micah comes in with about 20 of his guys, walks in, and they’re celebrating… I was thinking, ‘What are they celebrating?’
“It was Micah had made his 50th Premier League appearance.”
Rooney, Richards, Lineker and Alan Shearer could not help but laugh at the former defender’s celebration for such an occasion.
Richards went on to make a total of 203 Premier League appearances for City and Aston Villa during his career.
Rooney on the other hand featured 491 times in the English top-flight for both United and Everton, the 17th highest tally in the league’s history.
Both are former FA Cup winners with City and United respectively and are in position to cover this year’s final, which is live on talkSPORT.
It’s the second consecutive season in which the two sides have met for the competition’s showcase, with City winning the previous final 2-1.
News Summary:
- Wayne Rooney leaves BBC studio in stitches with Micah Richards story before FA Cup final
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