Nedum Onuoha - Kicking Back

S orry, what? You want stories about Nedum? Deary, deary, deary me. Hes the most boring man in history!

Then the cackle. The one that is contractually obliged to follow each sentence Micah Richards utters. Three minutes later, hes joined on the Zoom call by Joe Hart.

Hart-dog! Whats happening!

Sorry Im late. Been at the butchers getting my dinner.

The laugh again.

Whats going on? Joe seems equally unimpressed with the task ahead. Everyones selling out! Whats Nedums book even about?

Hell be putting the world to rights, wont he.

Oh, hell love it. Absolutely love the fact his opinion might poke people. But I guarantee it will also make them think.

I played alongside Micah and Joe for both Manchester City and the England Under-21s. For reasons that immediately became x questionable, I left them alone to have a conversation about me

MR: I dont know why hes asked me to do this. When he was the main man at City and he got a little injury, I leapt in and took his place in the team!

JH: I think that speaks more about him, Meeks. Hes not looking for a big-up. Hes looking for honest people. Id like to think were not here to say hes an amazing guy or a great player.

MR: True. He was class, though. When we were growing up, he was playing two or three years higher than his age group at the City academy. We called him Chief, because he was the No. 1 guy, but back in the day he was a striker. He used to bang goals in left, right and centre. He was just quicker and stronger than everyone and actually had decent technique. Im not even joking!

JH: Thats kids football, though, isnt it? He likes to think it didnt change, but it did. If hes being truthful, he knows that I could dominate him if he was going against me. With all the intellectual standing he had, when I was in goal against him, I could mess with him so bad. He was mine. He was a toy, and continues to be, because I know that he brings it up all the time. So, I can confirm that he couldnt score to save his life in training.

MR: But I dont understand, honestly, Harty, because when he was younger he used to just run past a defender, drop his shoulder and smash it into the top corner! I thought this guy was going to be ridiculous. Now, though, I play five-a-side with him and hes got one of the worst techniques in the history of shooting! On the xi ball, hes so awkward! All that talent for scoring goals he had at a young age; I dont know what happened to him. It just went!

JH: I did love playing with Nedum, though.

MR: Once he got a bit bigger and he was moved to the back, he was just so good. He was incredible, and I thought he was going to be the next Sol Campbell. He had it all: one-on-one defending, tactical nous, talking with his teammates and leadership. Im telling you, the next Sol Campbell. I know itll hurt him that it didnt work out that way, but the problem was he didnt actually do anything wrong. He was just injured at the wrong time and then Roberto Mancini didnt give him a chance at City. He was so unlucky, and thats really being honest about the situation. He was just really unlucky.

JH: The most important thing for me is that I trust those defensive players ahead of me as a footballer and as a person. I trusted him, and he trusted me. Thats the best feeling ever for me as a goalkeeper. I knew nobody would get past him easily, and if they did sneak through he had the ability to deal with it. He was very honest in his communication, and Im a big communicator too, so we worked well.

MR: He could have been better at jumping. Im all arms everywhere when Im going up for a header, but he was too nice!

JH: And sensible. He certainly wouldnt party like you and me, Meeks! His fun was different, but we always respected that because we saw his thought process. Whether he was on a night out or not, he had a real good balance. Its not easy to both play and party and it can leave people by the wayside, but it was really good for others to look at Nedum to realise you dont have to try to be a rockstar. I first met him when I was still at Shrewsbury xii Town, but the sportswear company Umbro had taken a punt on me. Nedum was pretty much Mr Umbro at the time, and I found him quite intimidating with his big frame and deep voice. I was nervous because I was starting to roll in Premier League circles, but I was still a League Two player. I didnt really expect people to have any idea who I was, but Nedum immediately put me at ease. That strikes me about him, you know, that he has an ability that I really like in someone, and thats to dictate the mood of a room. He took the time to get to know me, and I saw that as a huge quality. I was being linked with Manchester City at that point, so maybe in a way he was just tapping me up! Then when I joined the club, I could tell that everyone kind of understood him. And he might have been the geeky one of the group, but you couldnt mess with Nedum!

MR: I think the turning point in Nedums career was when he was playing brilliantly under Mark Hughes in 2009. All the fans were singing, Nedum for England! Id been in the team but got injured, and this time Nedum replaced me. He was incredible for the rest of that season. I started sweating, thinking I wouldnt get my place back! But I desperately hoped he would get an England call-up.

JH: We all wanted that for him.

MR: There are two ways of finding out when youve been picked for England. You sometimes get a text, but you always get a letter. We were going out to reception at Carrington, and he hadnt received a text but there was a letter waiting for him. His form had been so good he would have been excited to read it, but it was another call-up to the Under-21s, not to the senior team. I think that was demoralising for him because if he didnt get his England chance then, he was never going to get it, because he xiii couldnt have done any more, or played any better. He was even playing ahead of me! But then Mancini came, and it was another case of bad timing.

JH: Its about managers, and sometimes its about moments. When I met him, he was the kind of person who had it all figured out. The pathway was there. But when you get to the very top it doesnt really matter how good you are, because everyones good. It can fall apart pretty quickly, and when it did for Nedum at City, it wasnt through any fault of his own. He had some big decisions to make about how he was going to behave as a person, and he took the high road. We expected it, because of the man that we knew, but its not easy to do. It hardened him and left a lot less room for bulls**t.

MR: Joe, how many times have I rung you over the last fifteen years, whether Ive been doing well or badly? Ive opened up about certain things with you, and with Nedum too. But he never really does the same. I think he wants to be the one who can solve the problem, because honestly, hes like a brainiac.

JH: I get the impression he likes a crisis because it means that he can help people. There were countless difficult dressing rooms at QPR, for example, and I think it actually suited his character. Them making him captain was the best thing they ever did. Hes good at dealing with carnage!

MR: Its interesting that hes written a book, because he normally doesnt like to reveal whats going on his life away from football. Even when he was going through what he did with his mum. How are you supposed to deal with that? I would text him and ask if he was all right, and hed just say, yeah and that he wasnt worried. He cant have been OK, but he felt like he had to show that he was in control of every situation. Some people might think thats xiv a positive thing, and I know men arent great at talking to each other, but it cant have been good for his mental health.