Micah Richards Quotes

When I'm fully fit, I have power and pace; then I feel good on the pitch.

If I am at 100 percent fitness, I do not fear any competition for places in the first 11.

You can't play when you're not 100% fit especially at this level.

Injuries are a big factor when you're trying to go on a championship run.

I don't feel I could've played major league baseball.

It's tough to play well - or not that well - when you're injured.

Of course, I believe injury has stopped me winning more tournaments.

In Russia, show the least athletic aptitude and they've got you dangling off the parallel bars with a leotard full of hormones.

Football rewards the guys that are in great condition.

The team doctor, the team trainers, they work for the team. And I love 'em, you know. They're some good people, you know. They want to see you do good. But at the same time, they work for the team, you know. They're trying to do whatever they can to get you back on the field and make your team look good.

I've dealt with a lot of injuries over the years, and you just learn about pain management and how to keep yourself in the best shape to play on Sunday, and then playing with pain.

Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.

The big goal is playing in June, so I'd rather be in the best shape I can be in health-wise than be dragging with nagging injuries or not being 100 percent trying to get to the Finals.

When you're younger, you have three or four bad results and you worry about everything. You worry about injuries, because they always seem to be your best players.

You can't just be anyone who is off the streets and come do what we do. You have to train, and there has to be something within you. You have to have athletic ability... What we do is 100 percent athletic. I feel like it's one of the top athletic programs out there when you consider professional sports.

It's not easy, but I play with my body, and I can feel how important it is to get 100 percent fit to play. This is an important thing to play in the Premier League.

Playing until I'm 40 is definitely a possibility.

I could have started playing professional at 16, 17 quite easily. For my position, I was far better than a lot of people around me. All the people in front of me had was experience but, talent-wise, I easily could get in.

It's always bad news when a player gets injured - dreadful news.

When I was growing up Harlequins were interested in signing me because I was very fast and strong at an early age, but I wasn't interested in rugby at the time.

Your cruciate ligament, like many long-term injuries... when they come back they're expected to be what they were before the injury. While fit it sometimes takes a little bit longer for some than others.

I'm not just a footballer; I'm a top athlete, and we have to be at the top of our game.

I never thought I'd be playing 60 games a season for City, I knew I would be playing half of that if I was lucky. I knew at a club with that much power and resources there would always be a flood of players into the team.

A male athlete's peak, I believe, should be somewhere between 26 and 30.

If you train 12 months a year, you won't have any strength for the important games.