Highlights
- Micah Richards asked Mario Balotelli for language tips before meeting his new manager at Fiorentina, but Balotelli played a prank on him.
- Richards revealed the story on the Rest Is Football podcast, sending co-hosts Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer into hysterics.
- Despite not being teammates, Balotelli still managed to cause trouble for Richards, showcasing his reputation as a troublemaker.
Manchester City defender-turned-pundit Micah Richards has revealed a hilarious story from his early days at Serie A side Fiorentina and how Mario Balotelli managed to stitch him up. Richards, who ‘burst onto the scene' during his stint in Manchester, left for pastures new in Italy as a means of getting more minutes under his belt.
Bursting onto the scene as he did, Richards arrived on Italian shores not speaking a word of their native language and called upon an old friend, Balotelli, to give some tips on how to greet people in Italian as he geared up to meet the then-La Viola chief Vincenzo Montella. And it went, well, as expected.
The pair had shared the pitch during their respective times in the Premier League and Balotelli had seemingly presented himself as a trustworthy figure - even to the extent where Richards asked for language advice following his move. But Richards’ former Manchester City teammate played an all-time prank on the Englishman.
Balotelli's prank on Richards
On the Rest Is Football podcast, hosted by Richards, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, the former revealed a great story about how a certain individual named Balotelli got him in hot water. The well-known trio usually discuss all the latest football news, but they received a fan question which asked: ‘What’s the funniest language-related incident that has happened to you in an overseas transfer?’. And Richards did not disappoint.
“I’ve got a bad story,” he admitted. “I went to Fiorentina on the last day of the transfer window. And obviously, I don’t speak Italian. Obviously, I’ve got ‘Si’ – yes, basically. And like the absolute idiot I am, I spoke to [Mario] Balotelli to say ‘What shall I say when I’m greeting someone?’
“You asked Balotelli?” Lineker asked, concerned about his co-host’s decision-making. To which Richards replied: “Because he’s normally good! I go and meet the manager, [Vincenzo] Montella. I got up to him, I shake his hand and say, ‘Testa di cazzo’
“Oh, you fool,” Shearer then chimed in.
“And I think it means ‘you f***ing d***head’," Richards went on to say, which sent the Lineker and Shearer into hysterics.
"Honest to God, and that’s the first time I’ve told this story because I’m thinking, ‘Should I tell it? Should I tell it?’ the ex-Man City man went on to say. He set me up. He caught me a kipper and to be fair to Montella, he just started laughing.”
Lineker then ended the hilarious story by saying: “You know what you are don’t you? Un testa di cazzo.”
You can watch the full clip for yourselves below. It makes for hilarious viewing.
Video: Richards recalls Balotelli's prank
Despite not being teammates at that point in time, the troublemaker that is the lovable Italy international still managed to get Richards in trouble with his new manager. That's probably the last time Big Meeks asked for language tips, especially with someone who has a reputation like Balotelli.
Richards, 35, retired from his playing career at the tender age of 31 but turned his focus to punditry and is a regular on Sky Sports, while Balotelli has refused to hang up his boots just yet. He has had spells in all corners of Europe at the likes of AC Milan, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Adana Demirspor and now Swiss side FC Sion.
All being told, you could say that Richards got away lightly with this one, considering Balotelli’s long-running notoriety of being a bad egg.
