Balotelli, 33, was a cult hero at the Etihad, infamously revealing the &aposWhy always me?&apos shirt after scoring against arch-rivals Manchester United as part of a remarkable 6-1 win at Old Trafford. But his time in England was shrouded with controversies off the pitch.
Richards played with Balotelli at City and has often reflected on the Italian&aposs antics while he lived in Manchester. On the latest episode of the Rest is Football, the pundit revealed more about the widely-known fireworks story.
“All the stories I have about him, lets just say they are not PG enough,” said Richards. “It is hilarious because the story you guys all know, is the story at his own house where basically he set off fireworks in his home and I am not exaggerating, there must have been 20,000 to 30,000s worth of damage. If you Google that now, you could probably see the amount of damage.
“But, what people dont know is that he came to my house a couple of weeks later and tried to set off fireworks in my house! Hes chasing me around my kitchen with fireworks and Im like, are you f****** okay in the head?
“Youve just set off fireworks in your own house and nearly burnt it down, and now youre coming to my house. Hes just looking at me, laughing at me like its normal.”
