Jamie Carragher speaks about TV retirement as he calls out Micah Richards | Football | Sport
Jamie Carragher may not be considering retirement at Sky Sports, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking a cheeky swipe at Micah Richards for considering an early exit. The former Liverpool defender has established himself as one of the most recognisable and respected football analysts on television, featuring across multiple broadcasters.
His reputation in the UK stems largely from his work with Sky Sports, where he has been a fixture for more than a decade, forming a popular partnership with Gary Neville. Abroad, he is also a key figure for CBS Sports as he contributes to their Champions League coverage alongside Kate Scott, Thierry Henry and Richards. During an episode of Kickin’ It on CBS Sports Golazo’s YouTube channel, the 48-year-old reflected on his pride in being part of these broadcasting teams and addressed the prospect of retirement.
When presenter Scott asked who he perceives as competition, Carragher dismissed it completely and insisted his only rivalry is with himself. He said: “When I say I’m in competition, I want to be the best I can be to drive myself.
“And I do think I’m on the best two football shows in the world. I do believe that Monday Night Football for completely different reasons and the CBS show that we have.
“I do think they are probably the two most talked about football shows anywhere in the world. And I’m at the heart of both of them.”
Speaking about his future plans, Carragher said: “I know eventually like in football, you get a new manager, you get a new player, you get a new team, things evolve. But I sometimes think because this is almost not a physical job, if you know what I mean, it’s got longevity.
“So my thing was, how long can I keep going before someone thinks, ‘No, they’re better than them to take his job?’ And I do think about that.”
Scott then turned to Richards’ retirement plans as she said: “Well, Micah has his out, right? Micah says, ‘I want to do it till I’m what does he say? 35 or something.'”
The ex-Manchester City defender actually intends to call it quits at 45. He previously told CBS Sports Golazo: “I’ve got a goal. My goal is to get to 45, do the best I can possibly do and then I’m out. I’m out of the game.”
Yet Carragher remains unconvinced his colleague will actually walk away in eight years’ time and expects him to continue in TV alongside him.
When questioned about his own retirement age, the former Liverpool star added: “No. I just keep going. Listen, it’s a brilliant job. You get paid well. You’re talking about football.
“What else would you be doing? You’d be sat in the house talking to your mate, talking about the game on the same thing.
“We’re on TV. It’s amazing. And don’t listen to Micah. I’ve heard people say this all, ‘Oh, I’m going to retire. I’m going to do this.’ But they’re not, they’re not.”
