Manchester City defender Micah Richards has explained his decision to leave Twitter.
The 23-year-old closed down his account last weekend after being subjected to racist abuse.
"I did enjoy Twitter and the banter with the fans, but I didn't like the abuse you get on it," he told the Manchester Evening News. "Sometimes you want to retaliate, but you have to be the bigger man and not.
"I thought it was just for the best for myself because it can affect your confidence if people are saying things about you.
"I just thought it was best to come off and concentrate fully on football."
City defend a 2-1 first-leg lead when they host Porto in their Europa League last-32 tie on Wednesday.
