However much you think you love Chinese takeaways, chances are you still do not love them quite as much as Micah Richards.
The former Manchester City right-back has opened up about what exactly it was that kept him going while he was tearing up the pitch in the Premier League.
Richards spent ten years at the Manchester club, winning one Premier League title and an FA Cup during that time.
He also spent four further years as Aston Villa before hanging up his boots.
He appeared alongside former England duo Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on the latest episode of The Rest is Football to give fans some more insight into their careers.
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The trio held a Q&A session as they answered a number of questions submitted by viewers, curious to know more about what went on in their footballing lives.
And one question posed to them was about nutrition in football.
They were asked to talk about what their diets were like when they were professional players and whether it was very different to the diets footballers today have.
And Richards laughed as he recalled just how different his diet was from the carefully-monitored programmes that players follow today.
“Mine was a disgrace!” he said. “Chinese everyday. A place called Manzem in the middle of Hale Town Centre, which is in Altrincham, Cheshire area.
“And I used to get chicken fried rice, salt and pepper ribs, sweet and sour chicken, chicken curry, spring rolls…
“What, all in one meal?!” interrupted Lineker, completely incredulous at the seemingly never-ending list that made up Richards’ order.
“I’m one of those people who likes to have a little bit of everything,” Richards insisted. “I can’t just get two things for the Chinese!”
Shearer’s diet was a little more measured, as he recalled his food of choice before a game.
“Fillet steak as a pre-match meal,” he recalled. “Then I went to chicken and beans at Blackburn.”
He added: “And then as we got older it got a little bit more professional.”
Shearer was likewise shocked at Richards’ decadent meal, and could not believe that the former defender would indulge in such a banquet even before a game.
“There’s no harm in having a Chinese,” said Shearer. “But I wouldn’t have a Chinese if you’re playing on the Saturday, would you? Is that what you’re saying, you had a Chinese on Friday night?”
“Yeah,” confirmed Richards before collapsing into fits of laughter.
But the trio did all agree that things had since become far more controlled when it came to players’ diets nowadays.
“There’s things where they’ll take your blood and see what potentially doesn’t agree with your system,” explained Richards. “So a lot of people now are gluten-free, just because it helps them as well.
“There’s all sort of different proteins that people are taking now. You get weighed in the morning which is completely different to back in our day, to make sure you’re at the optimum weight.”
News Summary:
- Micah Richards ate Chinese food every day as a player and ordered pretty much everything
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