The world of football is littered with misinformation and false stories about professionals and their lives, and Micah Richards has added to these narratives by stating that his dad never ran a Brazilian Soccer School.
Richards grew up in Leeds and attended a few sessions at Simon Clifford's Brazilian-influenced coaching academy, but his father, Lincoln, never coached or ran his own.
When FourFourTwo asked him about his dad running a Brazilian soccer school in the latest issue available to order, Richards set the record straight.
"This is the biggest myth ever! Everyone was like, 'Oh my God, your dad was a football coach, he’s got that Brazilian influence'. No!
"Let me get this straight. Simon Clifford brought the soccer school concept to Leeds. Because he knew one of my dad’s friends, I played a couple of games and did a couple of training sessions.
"But everyone said, 'That’s why you were quite skilful' and I was like, 'No, it wasn’t!' Even Simon took a lot of credit: when I made my debut it was, 'Yeah, it’s because he came through the system…' You aren’t going to put him right at the time, and there was an amazing format to what he did, but the whole, 'Oh, when Micah does a Cruyff turn, that’s from Brazilian soccer schools'... no! It isn’t!"
As a youngster, Richards played as a striker for Leeds United in their youth academy, but was released at eight years old. Oldham Athletic decided to take on Richards, moving him further back to defence - this change in position saw Manchester City swoop for him while just 14.
His fast ascent continued from there, with Richards claiming he is right to suggest that he "burst onto the scene". Indeed, he made his Manchester City debut while still only 17-years-old, with his first England appearance coming just a year later, making him the nation's youngest-ever defender.
He is now a pundit for the BBC at World Cup 2022, covering a range of games at the tournament and providing his insight.
