Ex-Everton star jailed for drugs saw old team-mate was screw so hid his identity

Former Premier League striker Michael Branch tried to conceal his identity in prison after a prison guard recognised him from their Everton days.

Branch is best known for his time on Merseyside – where he made 41 appearances across four seasons. However, after Branch's time at the top came to a close, he was sentenced to seven years for serious drug offences.

And speaking to The Tenth Pint Podcast, Branch gave a small insight into life behind bars. The former Everton frontman revealed he had tried to hide his identity when he was recognised by one of the guards on his first morning.

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He said: "So I've come out [of the cell] looked down, and one of the guards used to be at Everton with me; he was a year younger than me. I was like 'thank god for that I know someone'.

"My name that I'm christened with is Paul Michael Branch so everything legal is Paul, and I'm down as Paul. So he's come up to me and said 'Paul, you don't half look like your Michael' because he thinks I'm Paul. So I'm trying to stay under the radar: I don't want anyone to know.

"And he's like how's your Micheal doing so I said 'oh yeah he's in Australia'… then he's come back later on, after lunch, and said 'I've googled Paul Michael he doesn't have a brother, what's gone on Michael?'"

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Branch went on to reveal that the guard then helped him relocate to a different wing of the prison where he knew someone.

The former Premier League star only ended up serving three years of his sentence, and he was released from prison in 2016 – when he started training as an accountant.

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