Rob Burrow podcast: Micah Richards chose football over rugby

Richards told the Rob Burrow's podcast he was scouted for the Leeds Rhinos before becoming a professional footballer

Former professional footballer Micah Richards has told rugby legend Rob Burrow the two of them could have been team mates.

Richards told the Rob Burrow podcast he was scouted for Leeds Rhinos before becoming a professional footballer.

"Rugby is a little bit ferocious for me, so I chose football," he said.

In response, Burrow's wife Lindsey said Rob had trials for Manchester City and they wanted to sign him.

"But he told the scout he wanted to play rugby," she said.

It came after Burrow asked Richards about his physique and whether he ever fancied trying his hand at a sport such as rugby.

"My dad said to me do you want to play rugby or football - I always loved rugby, but with my knees I don't think I could have coped with it," he added.

However, imagining the two of them playing football together, Richards said: "We would have had a right good time."

Micah Richards tells Burrows about his "bromance" with Roy Keane and his time at Manchester City

In the podcast, Richards also talks about being flamboyant with his finances when he made his debut for England at age 18, including buying a Aston Martin DB9 for £125,000.

"My dad went absolutely berserk," he said, telling him the car cost six times the value of the family home in Chapletown, Leeds.

"They started calling me the bling king," he added.

Richards also talks openly about his relationship with his father not being great since his parents separated.

"I've never spoke about this before, but I think it's fitting for today," he said.

On the subject of relationships, he also talks about his "bromance" with Roy Keane, who he says is always there for him.

"He is just an amazing person, with a heart of gold," he said.

In response to another question, Richards talks about his time at Manchester City, including when he and a number of other players broke their curfew and had to scale a fire escape to get back into a hotel in the early hours.

Called Seven: Rob Burrow, the podcast sees the rugby league legend and his wife Lindsey interviewing seven sporting greats, asking them seven questions each.

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association patron Burrow, who uses AI technology and recordings of his voice to communicate, was helped by the charity with eye-gaze technology to make the series.

Listen to Seven: Rob Burrow on BBC Sounds