Richards pledges to quit punditry by 2034 as Keane eyes even earlier exit

Micah Richards has told broadcasters he will step away from all mainstream punditry after the 2034 World Cup, while his long-time colleague Roy Keane has indicated he may leave the profession even earlier.

Richards, 38, made the announcement in July, confirming plans to exit television work by the time he turns 46. The former Manchester City and England right-back, who has been a regular presence on Sky Sports, the BBC’s Match of the Day, and CBS Sports since retiring as a player in 2019, said the decision is driven by a desire to return to his roots in Chapeltown, Leeds.

“I’ll be out of all this by the time I turn 46,” Richards told the Daily Telegraph. “You won’t see me on any mainstream media beyond the 2034 World Cup. That will be the last time I am on the BBC or Sky or CBS. I’ve told them all this and they think I’m joking. I’m not.”

He added that football had consumed his life since leaving school at 14, and that he wants to shift his focus toward grassroots community work and supporting young people once he steps back from the media spotlight.

Keane, however, may not wait that long. The Manchester United legend, now 55, gave a characteristically blunt response when asked on the Stick to Football podcast — recorded around his 53rd birthday — whether he could see himself still working as a pundit in ten years’ time.

“Absolutely f**king not. Jesus Christ, you must be joking. I’ll struggle for the next 10 months doing this,” Keane said. He also mused about life beyond punditry: “Hopefully, I’ll be out of this rat race in about 12 months. A nice house somewhere, a bit of land, a few animals.”

Keane later floated the idea of relocating abroad, naming Switzerland as a possible destination during a recording of The Overlap On Tour in Turin. “In the next couple of years, I reckon I will be moving abroad,” he told his co-presenters, adding: “Switzerland is beautiful.”

For now, Keane remains part of the Sky Sports punditry roster as the new Premier League season gets underway, having also covered the summer’s World Cup for ITV. Richards, likewise, continues his regular broadcast commitments — but both men appear to have their exit strategies firmly in mind.