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Richard Martin

Northern Football Writer

📝 Bio: I'm a football writer covering Manchester United and Manchester City. I am a regular at Old Trafford and The Etihad Stadium and am often found at the City Football Academy or United's Carrington Training Ground for press conferences. I covered Spanish football for 10 years at the height of the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi era, witnessing Real Madrid win three consecutive Champions Leagues while Barca scooped multiple La Liga crowns. I moved back to my former home of Manchester in 2023, in time to cover City swooping to the treble and a record-breaking fourth successive Premier League crown, plus the never-ending melodrama unfolding at United. Highlights while working for GOAL include interviewing Julian Alvarez, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot.

⚽ My Football Story: My first game was seeing Manchester United getting destroyed 4-1 by Tottenham in 1996, aged eight. It did not put me off and I have since been to over 700 matches across 16 countries and three continents, from standing on the terraces at River Plate and Napoli to filing match reports from the World Cup final in Moscow or the Europa League final in Bilbao. I live and breathe terrace culture but I equally enjoy analysing the game's top players and coaches.

🎯 Areas of Expertise:

  • Manchester United & Manchester City
  • La Liga
  • Fan culture

🌟 Favourite Footballing Memory:

Reporting from the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors in Madrid, a once-in-a-lifetime event and a privilege to experience live.

 

 

 

Articles by Richard Martin
  1. McTominay makes fun of Hojlund at Halloween party

    Former Manchester United team-mates Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay showed how well they are getting on away from Old Trafford at Napoli as they attended a Halloween party together. The pair were reunited when the Serie A champions signed Hojlund on loan in the summer. And McTominay poked fun at the striker's choice of white socks during their night out.

  2. Are you watching, Carra?! Casemiro is indispensable to Man Utd

    Casemiro and Ruben Amorim have a few things in common. The Manchester United coach and midfielder share a common language; they have both played in the Portuguese top-flight, for Porto and Benfica, respectively; and they both been written off completely by Jamie Carragher live on Sky Sports. But the next time they see the former Liverpool defender, they can look him in the eye and tell him he was completely wrong.

  3. City have no chance of success while so Haaland-dependent

    'Give Erling Haaland the ball and he will score' had proved to be a pretty effective tactic for Manchester City over the previous two months, but Aston Villa have exposed its flaws. They found a way to blunt the Norwegian's edges on Sunday, ending Haaland's run of scoring in 12 matches in a row for club and country while also becoming the first team to keep a clean sheet against Pep Guardiola's side in nine games.

  4. Man Utd keen to fast-track Hojlund sale after Sancho saga

    Manchester United are ready to fast-track Rasmus Hojlund's eventual sale to Napoli and sell the Danish forward to the Serie A champions when the January transfer window opens. Hojlund, who joined United from Atalanta in 2023, has hit the ground running for Antonio Conte's side since moving on loan on transfer deadline day, scoring four goals in six matches in all competitions.

  5. Cunha & Mbeumo were worth it! Big-money signings come good

    Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha paid off sizeable chunks of their big transfer fees with spectacular displays as Manchester United beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 to record three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time in 20 months. Cunha netted his first for the club to open the scoring while Mbeumo struck twice, his last goal seeing off the growing threat of a Brighton comeback.

  6. Fernandes hits landmark as captain joins Man Utd's 300 club

    Bruno Fernandes made his 300th appearance for Manchester United as he started against Brighton on Saturday. The Portuguese midfielder joined United in January 2020 from Sporting CP and is regarded as the best signing the club has made in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. The captain made his milestone appearance five months after rejecting a succulent offer to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

  7. Hit or Miss: Should City have sold their top academy talents?

    Youth football is in Pep Guardiola's blood. He emerged from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and then took his first steps as a coach after being appointed manager of the Catalans' B team all the way back in 2007. When he became first-team coach at Camp Nou one year later, he promoted the likes of Sergio Busquets and Pedro, plus the returning Gerard Pique, as Barca swept to the treble in style.

  1. Reborn Rashford can cement Barca hero status in Clasico

    As Marcus Rashford prepares to face Real Madrid as Barcelona's most productive player this season, fresh from scoring two classy goals against Olympiacos in the Champions League, it is worth remembering that the striker was mocked in some quarters for having the audacity to think he could even play for the Blaugrana after two disappointing seasons, let alone rip it up for them.

  2. Explained: Why Man Utd are delaying Maguire contract talks

    Ruben Amorim has sought to explain why Manchester United have not yet opened talks with Harry Maguire about a new contract. Maguire scored the goal which gave United their first away win at Liverpool for nine years but his future with the Red Devils is in doubt as he is into the last year of his contract. From January, he will be allowed to speak to foreign clubs about joining as a free agent.

  3. How Man Utd ensure Anfield win isn't another false dawn

    Now that the dust has settled on Manchester United's first victory at Anfield in almost a decade, attention turns to what the Red Devils have found the hardest thing to do in the last two years: build some momentum. As satisfying as Sunday's 2-1 win on Merseyside was, it was far from the only time United have overcome low expectations and pulled off a big result against a top team in recent times.

  4. Red hot Haaland scores once more on easy night for City

    Erling Haaland scored for the 12th game running for club and country as Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bernardo Silva also netted to rubber-stamp City's first away win in Europe's top competition for more than a year, taking Pep Guardiola's side on to seven points from their three games in the league phase.

  5. From Ballon d'Or to broken: What next for Rodri?

    Manchester City's Champions League visit to Villarreal should have been a triumphant homecoming for Rodri, a return to the club that made him. But the midfielder will get no warm welcome back from his former fans at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday as he instead recovers from a hamstring injury that has raised further doubts over his ability to get back to his best a year after undergoing knee surgery.