Richard Ashcroft and then attended Winstanley College, where he met Nick McCabe. His teachers referred to him as "the cancer of the class", though one member of staff recalled him being "incredibly intelligent". Ashcroft was an avid football player, playing junior football for Wigan Athletic. For some time Ashcroft wanted to be a professional football player, idolising George Best, but as he grew older he lost interest in this, turning to music instead. Ashcroft formed The Verve (originally just Verve) in 1990 with McCabe, Jones, and Salisbury. The band signed to Hut Records and became well known for their appetite for both
Richard Ashcroft in Injury time against Bayern Munich He is good friends with Oasis's Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher and Coldplay's Chris Martin. For a long time the Gallagher brothers have expressed great respect for Ashcroft, with Noel Gallagher fondly nicknaming Ashcroft 'Captain Rock'. The Oasis track "Cast No Shadow", from the successful 1995 album "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" is dedicated to him, possibly as a response to Ashcroft having dedicated the title track of "A Northern Soul" to Noel Gallagher. Ashcroft also provided backing vocals on the Oasis song "All Around the World" in 1997, for Oasis' "Be Here Now". In