Soccer Football - Champions League - Group D - Tottenham Hotspur v Eintracht Frankfurt - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - October 12, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their third goal with Harry Kane, Emerson Royal, Ryan Sessegnon and Richarlison REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Micah Richards thinks former Tottenham Hotspur player Kyle Walker is now one of the ‘best-ever’ fullbacks world football has ever seen following Manchester City’s Champions League triumph in Istanbul.
On Saturday evening, Kyle Walker and Manchester City created history by winning the club’s first-ever Champions League and also securing the historic Treble by beating Inter 1-0.
After the game, Richards, a former Man City fullback himself, told former Tottenham and Sheffield United star Walker that he is, not just ‘one of the best-ever’ in the Premier League, but in world football also, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (10/06/23 at 10:40 pm).
To the surprise of some, when Pep Guardiola named his XI for the Champions League final, he proceeded to leave Walker out of his XI.
Given the 33-year-old’s importance and recent form, it was unexpected, but in the end, it proved to be the correct call, with Walker coming on as a second-half substitute.
Nonetheless, after the full-time whistle, Richards was singing the praises of Walker and what he has done in the game.
“You have been absolutely unbelievable this season,” said Richards. “The way Man City have been playing, in terms of moving Stones into midfield.
“When you are not in the team, the balance doesn’t seem right, to me. I was disappointed that you didn’t start. But that’s a great attitude.
“You are going to look back and reflect and think ‘you are one of the best-ever, not just Premier League, but World fullbacks’.”
Walker’s legacy is growing
When Man City signed Walker for £45 million (BBC Sport), some raised question marks over the fee that was paid for the then-thriving Tottenham star.
He didn’t have a single trophy to his name and the best thing he had done was compete in the Champions League.
But, fast forward to the present, and he now has five Premier League titles to his name, four League Cups, two FA Cups and that all-important European Cup.
Added to the fact that one of them is the Treble and he will probably add way more trophies to his name before his time is up in the game.
