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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. Ten Hag being considered for shock Premier League return

    Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could be set to return to English football after being considered for the vacant role at a Premier League club. Ten Hag is a free agent after being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen in September, becoming the first manager in Bundesliga history to lose his job after two games. He was fired by United in October 2024, four months after signing a new contract.

  2. Magical Cherki is Haaland's perfect partner!

    Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki combined to devastating effect as Manchester City comfortably beat Bournemouth 3-1 and provided the perfect response to last week's defeat at Aston Villa. The French playmaker started at No. 10 after impressing against Swansea City in midweek and proved to be the perfect foil to City's insatiable striker, who he provided with two goals.

  3. Amad inists Man Utd players believe in Amorim's system

    Amad Diallo insisted Manchester United's players are fully supportive of Ruben Amorim's style of play after the the Red Devils were held to a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Amad rescued a point for United with a brilliant late strike but could not hide his disappointment at the fact his side's run of three consecutive wins had come to an end.

  4. Pep gives positive update on Haaland & Rodri injuries

    Pep Guardiola has revealed that both Erling Haaland and Rodri have recovered from their respective injuries and will be fit for Manchester City's Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Sunday. Haaland had an injury scare during City's 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa last week but the Norwegian is ready to face Andoni Iraola's in-form side, who are second in the table.

  5. Rooney reveals biggest regret involving Ronaldo bust-up

    Wayne Rooney has opened up on the biggest regret of his entire footballing career - and it involves Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney played at three World Cups for England but has revealed that he wishes he had sat one of them out as he was not fully fit at the time. The legendary striker also admitted he was close to not joining Manchester United after a rival Premier League side enquired about him.

  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.