Alan Shearer has made thoughts clear on BBC future as Micah Richards announces plans to quit

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Alan Shearer already stated he has no intention of leaving his BBC role amid Micah Richards ’ bombshell announcement. Shearer and Richards both work for the BBC as football pundits, appearing on Match of the Day and currently covering the World Cup for the broadcaster.

Richards, who is also a regular alongside Shearer on Gary Lineker ’s The Rest Is Football podcast - the sixth-most popular podcast in the UK - has become one of the most recognisable faces in football media since retiring in 2019.

The former England and Manchester City right-back, 38, also works for Sky Sports and CBS. But he recently announced his plans to step away from punditry by 2034.

Richards pledged to quit in the next eight years in order to focus on community work in his hometown of Chapeltown, Leeds. But his colleague Shearer has no such plans to step away from his punditry and commentary duties just yet.

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The Newcastle United legend, 55, saw his close friend Lineker leave the BBC last year after hosting Match of the Day for 26 years. In one episode of the flagship football highlights programme, Shearer was given the task of starting the show with a joke aimed at Lineker, who by then had already announced his impending departure.

Later, when asked by Lineker about his new hosting duties on The Rest is Football , Shearer made his own position clear by saying: "No, I'm quite happy doing what I'm doing [punditry], so I'll leave that [presenting] to the experts."

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Richards, however, has other plans. He told the Daily Telegraph this week: "I’ll be out of all this by the time I turn 46. You won’t see me on any mainstream media beyond the 2034 World Cup. That will be the last time I am on the BBC or Sky or CBS. I’ve told them all this and they think I’m joking. I’m not.

"I’ve given so much of my life to football since leaving school at 14. But when the time comes, I want to make a difference to people’s lives at a grassroots level – to help those who need it most, especially young people.

"I come from Chapeltown in Leeds. It’s an area where there is so much talent, but a shortage of opportunity. I want to give something back. That’s my aim. I’ve no idea what form that will take, yet. There’s plenty of time to work that out.