Richards' Olympic honour
- Tuesday,
Team GB Double Header
Women v Sweden (4pm)
Men v Brazil (7.45pm)
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough FC
Buy Online - click here
Ticket hotline 0844 499 1234
Live on BBC1
Micah Richards believes winning an Olympic medal would mean as much to him as becoming a Premier League champion with Manchester City - and he insists Team GB have the players to make that dream a reality.
The 24-year-old was named as one of the three over-age players in Stuart Pearce's squad for this summer's tournament, which sees Group games against Senegal, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.
And having heard a speech from two-time Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes, Richards says he now understands exactly how important the Games are.
Brazil are the opponents in Friday night's final friendly before the tournament, but having had a productive training camp in Spain the defender says that Team GB have a squad that can make a real impact in the tournament.
And having tasted glory with City in May, Richards is adamant that winning a medal on home soil would mean just as much to him.
"Winning an Olympic medal in London would be right up there with what I've won before," he said.
"I heard some people say they aren't going to watch the football but being here and being an Olympian - well, you just don't understand how much of a buzz it is, it's an outstanding feeling and I would like everyone to come out and give us their full support.
"Kelly's speech was outstanding and we spoke to her about her career, how she won the gold medals and why it was important to her to have won them. Being an Olympian is a massive honour so we are really looking forward to it."
And Richards says he has been particularly impressed by the Welsh trio of Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen in training.
"I'm very confident," he said. "We have some really good, technical players - Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen have really impressed me alongside Ryan Giggs in a central midfield three.
"They are technically outstanding and we will try and play football which will hopefully be key.
"The squad looks good, although we've only had nine days together. There's no hype about us going out there and winning this, so maybe that's better for us.
"Spain are dominating football at the minute - they play the best football and have the best players so all the pressure is on them.
"If we come across them and were to beat them then the hype would be on us. But until then we will just go out and show what we can do."
Tickets for the double-header are still available directly from Middlesbrough FC. Click here to book online or call the ticket hotline on 0844 499 1234
The games will be the only chance for fans to see the men's and women's teams play before the Olympic football tournament begins five days later when Team GB women take on New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , with the men’s team kicking off their competition against Senegal at Old Trafford (KO 8pm) on Thursday 26 July.
