Wikipedia Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Melissa Reddy is a South African journalist who predominantly writes about football.
- She is a pioneer as a woman sports journalist & has become a well-respected writer, podcaster and TV analyst over the span of her career.
- More recently, Reddy has contributed to The Athletic Soccer and also written for JOE, where she was the Senior Football Correspondent. She also contributes regularly to multiple other media platforms as a topic expert.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Reddy was born in August 1986, in South Africa.
- She grew up in a sports-mad family, spending her childhood playing football and cricket and watching rugby.
- Despite growing up in South Africa & her family being divided between Manchester United and Tottenham, Reddy has always been a Liverpool FC fan, with her love for football finally leading her to move to the United Kingdom in 2014.
- Her most memorable moment as a Liverpool FC fan was a few days after her 8th birthday, when Robbie Fowler scored against Arsenal in August 1994.
- To Reddy, being a Liverpool FC fan is not just about football; it’s about joining a family. She feels that the fan community around the club is incredibly strong.
Education : Qualifications, High School & College Info
- Reddy studied Media and Communications at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, during which she did an internship at Summit TV.
- While she was completing her internship, she was encouraged to write about sports by some professional journalists. This led her to apply for a job at TEAMtalk Media, after which she finished her studies & kickstarted her career as a sports journalist.
Career, Job, Salary and Net Worth :
- Reddy first began writing as a sports journalist professionally in 2007.
- She worked for TEAMtalk Media in South Africa, where she was Head of the football department.
- Later, she became the Deputy Editor of KICK OFF magazine, which is Africa’s largest sports publication.
- In 2014, Reddy moved to the UK, where she became the chief correspondent for Monday Night Football.
- Reddy also worked for the UK based web publishing platform JOE, where she was the Senior Football Correspondent.
- Melissa was hired as the Senior Football Correspondent at The Independent in November 2019.
- In March 2022, Reddy stepped down from her position as Senior Football Correspondent at The Independent to take on a new role as a senior reporter for Sky Sports and Sky Sports News.
- In 2020, Reddy had put out her first book called Believe Us: How Jürgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool Into Title Winners. Even the England national rugby union team head coach, Eddie Jones, talked about it, saying it gave a sneak peek into the practices of the awesome team that Klopp built at Liverpool FC.
- Over the years, she has also contributed to other media platforms such as Premier League Productions, BBC 5 Live, The Athletic, Fox Singapore, Sky News, and The Anfield Wrap.
Interesting Facts and Trivia :
- Reddy describes her love for Liverpool FC as being the longest relationship she’s ever had.
- One of Reddy’s favourite drinks is gin. She is known for her perfect strategy for making Gin and Tonics.
- As a woman, and as a person of colour, reporting on football has not always been easy. She has received a fair share of maltreatment, both online and in person. However, she does not take this personally, feeling this is a reflection of her abusers, not her.
- Melissa has built a strong following on Twitter (now called X) – over 325,000 followers follow her there for her analysis & quick reports.
- Like Melissa, South Africa has an army of fierce Liverpool FC fans, who celebrate being part of the Liverpool family through avid game watching, tattoos, and making trips to Anfield, Liverpool.
- Kenny Dalglish is Reddy’s favourite Liverpool manager, mainly for his sharp wit, attitude and humility. The lowest point for her supporting Liverpool was the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster and the Hicks and Gillett debacle. And of course, her favourite memory is the 2005 Champions League final, “The Miracle of Istanbul”.
Body Figure / Physical Info
Melissa Reddy Measurements :
- Eye Colour : Brown
- Haircut / Hair Colour : Black
- How tall is Melissa Reddy Height : 5′2″
- Pregnant? : Currently, she is not expecting a baby.
Personal / Home / Contact Details
- Ethnicity / Origin / Heritage / Race : South Asian (Indian). Reddy is a caste of the Hindu religion. People of Reddy caste are predominantly settled in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India.
- Nationality : South-African
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Hi,
I would like to make contact with Melissa, as I need her help with our project called – AFRICAN VOICES FOR HOPE PEACE. We are working in the African Continent, her involvement will certainly help our cause.
So knowledgeable, love her presentation…would love to meet Melissa one day!
I love football and am a die-hard United fan…listening to Ms. Reddy’s top-notch team/match reports and analysis made me love the game even more and never get bored listening to her beautiful voice. Albeit I was disappointed to discover her love for Liverpool FC. I realize I like her still!
Ms. Reddy is soft-spoken and very knowledgeable in football. Every time I listen to her I have to tell a friend about her. She is so fun to listen to.
She was not born in South Africa and her accent is Indian!
Indian accent. Sounds weirdly south african to me.
She WAS born is South Africa, you weirdo!
Is she still in a relationship with Mane?
Nobody likes Sadio Mane
I like her commitment to be well known in football journalism, especially ladies in Africa didn’t go further in this field.
It is my pleasure to continue further in your job and support Liverpool football club as needed.
Just watching a documentary on channel 4 about Jurgen Klopp with melissa Reddy a contributor. She is a very knowledgeable young lady and a pleasure to listen to her.