Giving an opinion on football matches for a job, sounds easy right? Well not anymore, with fan knowledge and an overall entertainment expectation from football pundits now the battle to be a top pundit has never seemed as difficult.

Sure we have some very professional and analytical pundits but do they offer enough in terms of character and humour? On the other side we have football pundits that are a joy to watch but may lack some of the in-depth tactical knowledge in which they can use/share. Below I look over some of the top football pundits currently on the air and screens, rating their knowledge, professionalism and humour.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Alex Scott has burst onto the scene the last few years after being one of the most successful Lioness of recent times. A regular on the BBC, Alex has shown others the way and allowed young girls to dream of following in her footsteps, not just as a footballer but now also as a football pundit/presenter. A steady pair of hands as well as possessing the technical knowledge to combat the big hitters, Alex also keeps everyone on their feet with a jibe here and there.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Micah Richards, hilarious. The former England international defender has been a breath of fresh air, especially during lockdown where joy has been very hard to find. An infectious laugh and ability to even make Roy Keane smile, Micah provides great insight in a way that is both easy to understand and extremely amusing to listen along to.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Gary Neville was always a divise character as a player. An extremely talented right back and not afraid to speak his mind then and most definitely not afraid to speak his mind now. Having formed a great working relationship and chemistry with former rival Jamie Carragher on Monday night football, Neville has shown viewers that he is able to articulate his knowledge of the game in a concise and no holds barred manner.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Laura Woods has fast become one of the go to pundits and presenters for all of the major sporting events. A regular on the radio now for Talksport, replacing Alan Brazil on the morning shows. Laura is a fans favourite, she is both professional and humorous and manages to walk the line between the two expertly.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner is now a mainstay on the Talksport network and for all of his critics in the past he has amassed a horde of fans for his straight talking and scarily accurate analysis on pretty much everything. Articuluate and extremely knowledgeable around football as a business he offers insights to things that many others simply cannot, the humour side is often neglected but he commands attention when he speaks.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Ian Wright, Wright, Wright! Ian is a breath of fresh air whenever he is on the screen, wearing his heart on his sleeve he is relatable to many fans mainly due to the passion he shows when covering England internation games, fan first, pundit second.

Knowledge

Professional

Humour

                                       Overall

Emma Hayes one of the newest additions to the media team alongside her managerial position at Chelsea Women. A thoroughly likeable and knowledgeable pundit, Emma has broken down some of the archaic barriers that still remain with the opposition to women being involved in mens football. A very good analytical pundit which should be no surprise when looking at her success at Chelsea.

The Winner

Micah Richards

A very tough choice but personally I feel that Micah has been a fresh of fresh air amongst what was fast becoming a very samey pool of pundits/presenters. Micah connects to both the younger and older audience by bringing honest opinions, recent career experience and a huge bundle of charisma and comedy value. The most well rounded individual currently in my opinion and always great to have on the screen.