Micah Richards insists he has no interest in presenting Match of the Day - even if there is a vacancy in the absence of the BBC’s new trio of presenters.

Gary Lineker, who has hosted the BBC’s flagship football programme since 1999, announced in November that he will be stepping down from his iconic role at the end of the current season. The BBC earlier this month confirmed the swirling rumours that the 64-year-old would be replaced by not one, but three new presenters.

Sharing responsibility of presenting the highlights show are Match of the Day 2’s Mark Chapman, long-time BBC sports broadcaster Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, who will not be leaving Sky Sports. Richards and Alan Shearer, long-time colleagues of Lineker, will continue as regular Match of the Day pundits.

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Former Manchester City defender Richards was recently spotted watching a non-league match in North Shields, where he was asked by Newcastle Fans TV if he will be giving up punditry to present the popular BBC show in the near future.

Richards laughed as he exclaimed: “Who told you that?!” before saying in a more serious tone: “No. In the future maybe I’ll do some presenting but Match of the Day, no. Gary’s done an unbelievable job.”

Addressing the BBC’s recent decision to appoint the aforementioned trio, Richards said of his new colleagues: “Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan have got it now but I just prefer being a pundit. You can have more of an opinion, you know.”

BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski said this month in light of the new Match of the Day line-up: "I know viewers will love these three incredible broadcasters and journalists at the heart of our football coverage next season. They're brilliant at what they do and MOTD viewers can be sure they will be well looked after as the big football talking points are expertly analysed.

"Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 25 years, he'll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football's greatest tournaments.

"Outside of Match of the Day we've got some great new shows, voices and surprises lined up for the 2025-26 season across audio, video and digital and we look forward to sharing them with you all later in the year. It's a truly exciting time for BBC Sport's football coverage."