Ex-Man United and England star is now unrecognizable and a luxury watch dealer after hanging up his boots
- A former Man United star is unrecognizable seven years after his retirement
- The Premier League winner now buys and sells luxury watches for a living
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins’
A former Man United midfielder has given an interview about his new life as a luxury watch dealer and looks unrecognizable from his playing days.
The 38-year-old, who scored twice in eight England games, hung up his boots in 2016 after 263 Premier League appearances for United, West Brom, Sunderland, Fulham and Aston Villa.
He won the league and the League Cup under Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, while making 81 first-team appearances for the Red Devils despite never being a regular starter.
One of his crowning moments for Sunderland came against his boyhood club Arsenal, when he opened the scoring in a 2–0 win that knocked the Gunners out of the FA Cup.
He ended his Championship career at Cardiff, where he was released from his contract before Christmas in 2016 after making just six appearances.
A former Manchester United star and England international is unrecognizable after retiring seven years ago
He won the Premier League with the Red Devils in 2007 but left later that year
Your browser does not support iframes.
The player in question is Kieran Richardson, who has spoken about his new life buying and selling luxury timepieces.
He told the Steven Sulley Study podcast In his new company he has done business with some of the biggest watch brands, including Patek Philippe and Rolex, with his most impressive sale grossing ‘£1.7 million’.
‘You have to make sure you trust your dealer. I find that with my background and who I am, people don’t feel like I’m going to beat them and walk away with £100,000 because I don’t need your £100,000,” Richardson said of his new company.
‘From the trust side, I get a lot of customers and that’s fine. I have a lot of customers, but I don’t like to tell the big names. I don’t want to open that can of worms, these watches are real assets.
‘I’m private. I have huge clients, believe me, it’s different when they want to get it out there. I’m thinking about people, not the pound notes. Safety.’
However, the Premier League winner remains interested in football and spoke fondly of his time at United.
He called Paul Scholes ‘the most talented footballer I have ever seen’, while also praising Ferguson and his former captain Roy Keane for ‘getting the best out of me’.
Despite causing heartbreak among Gunners fans all those years ago, Richardson remained an avid fan and was eyeing a season ticket at the Emirates.
Kieran Richardson has played more than 250 games in the Premier League and now works as a luxury watch dealer
The 38-year-old named Paul Scholes the best player he played with in his career
Despite Arsenal being knocked out of the FA Cup with Sunderland in 2012, Richardson remains a fan and had a season ticket at the Emirates in mind.
Speaking in March, he added: ‘As someone who doesn’t play, I enjoy being an Arsenal fan, I’ll buy a season ticket next season. I don’t think there was a conflict of interest.
‘I’m an Arsenal fan, but when you play for a club you don’t think about Arsenal. Whatever club you belong to, that is the team you drive for.’
It is unclear whether Richardson will secure his seat in north London, but he will be happy with a solid start for the Gunners, which has seen them win three of their first four games.
They will play against Everton on Sunday after a week off for the international break.