former footballer Micah Richards shares hilarious Mario Balotelli language blunder
Posted : 08 September 2023
Former actor Micah Richards shared a hilarious anecdote during his appearance on the Lineker and Shearer podcast. The story revolves around his encounter with the enigmatic Italian footballer, Mario Balotelli, known for his eccentric behavior both on and off the field.
Balotelli's history of controversies includes various incidents, such as fooling, biting, attacking, assaulting, and even setting off fireworks that resulted in his house catching fire. However, the tale Richards recounted is a rather comical one, contrasting with most of Balotelli's escapades. It dates back nine years and has only recently come to light, providing a good laugh without any harm involved.
The story unfolds on the final day of the 2014/15 transfer window when Micah Richards, an English defender, signed with the Italian club Fiorentina. Eager to make a positive impression on his new teammates and manager, Vincenzo Montella, Richards sought assistance from his former Manchester City teammate, Mario Balotelli, who is fluent in Italian. Little did Richards know what he was in for.
Richards recalled the incident during his podcast appearance, describing his first training session with Fiorentina: "I have a particularly bad story. I came to Fiorentina on the last day of the window, and of course, I don't speak Italian, just a few basic words. Like the perfect idiot I am, I talked to Balotelli and asked him, 'What do I need to say to greet someone in Italian?' Why did I ask him? Because usually, he's fine. Then I went on to talk to manager Montella. I went up to him, shook his hand and said, 'Testa di cazzo,'" Richards continued, causing laughter from Lineker, "I called my coach 'a piece of dick.' What an idiot I am. I could have googled and checked, but I just believed Balotelli. Have to be fair and say Montella just started laughing! It's the first time I've told it, for a long time I thought about whether I should tell it or not and I didn't know if people would even believe me. Balotelli just worked on me."