There is a clear message from Micah Richards in response to Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day rumours.

More and more rumours are going around about who will replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day. This makes Micah Richards very angry, and he called the rumours “disrespectful.”

Lineker will be leaving his job as host of the BBC’s most popular football show at the end of the season, after more than 25 years in the job. This was announced earlier this month. The bookmakers think that Match of the Day 2 host Mark Chapman will be the next host, but Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, and Reshmin Chowdhury are also said to be in the running.

Some people think Richards, a former Manchester City player who has been a regular on Match of the Day since 2021, should get the job, but the 36-year-old says he thinks other people are better suited for the job. “When people are saying ‘Micah Richards [is] potentially going to take over the presenter job’, I feel like it’s a massive disrespect to all the presenters out there,” he told The Rest Is Football podcast.

Since I’m a commentator, I think I know a lot about football because I watch how teams play. That being said, taking over as host of one of the most famous sports shows the BBC has ever had would be a whole other story.

The guest on the show, West Ham striker Michail Antonio, couldn’t help but poke fun at Richards’ humility. “Blah, blah, blah, stop trying it mate,” said he. “Look what he’s trying to do, [mimicking Richards] ‘there are so many others that they can pick over me, I just can’t believe that they’re even putting my name in the hat’.”

Then Lineker said something funny: “Micah, you can totally relax—I promise they won’t be asking you.” This made both Richards and Antonio laugh out loud.

Since he took over as host of Match of the Day from Des Lynam in 1999, Lineker’s name has become linked to BBC football shows. He is the highest-paid person in the company, making an estimated £1.35 million a year. He has also been a host of Match of the Day for the longest time, 60 years.

Even though he is leaving the show at the end of the 2024–25 Premier League season in May, he will still work for the BBC for another 14 months before leaving for good after the 2026 World Cup.