Micah Richards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Micah Richards

Richards during Manchester City's Premier League victory parade in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Micah Lincoln Richards
Date of birth	(1988-06-24) 24 June 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Birmingham, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Right-back
Youth career
	Leeds City School Boys
0000–2000	Leeds United
2000–2001	Oldham Athletic
2001–2005	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2015	Manchester City	179	(7)
2014–2015	→ Fiorentina (loan)	10	(0)
2015–2019	Aston Villa	26	(1)
Total		215	(8)
International career
2003–2004	England U16	2	(0)
2005–2006	England U19	3	(0)
2006–2011	England U21	15	(3)
2006–2012	England	13	(1)
2012	Great Britain Olympic	5	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English football expert and former professional player. He played as a right-back, a defender who plays on the right side of the field.

Richards started his professional career with Manchester City. He played 245 games over ten seasons, helping them win a Premier League title and an FA Cup. After playing on loan for Fiorentina in Italy, he joined Aston Villa in 2015. Richards played 31 times for Villa until October 2016. He retired in July 2019 due to several knee injuries. After retiring, he became a popular football pundit, sharing his opinions and analysis on games.

When he made his first full England team appearance in November 2006, Richards became the youngest defender ever to join the England squad. He played 13 games for England between 2006 and 2012. He also played for the Great Britain squad in the 2012 Olympic football tournament.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Football Days

Richards warming up for Manchester City in 2008

Micah Richards was born in Birmingham, England, but grew up in Chapeltown, Leeds. He started playing football at a young age. He was part of the Leeds United youth team as a striker. However, he left the club when he was about eight years old.

Richards later played for the Oldham Athletic youth system. At 14, he moved to Manchester City. He worked his way up through Manchester City's youth and reserve teams. In 2005, he signed his first professional contract with the club.

Time at Manchester City

In the summer of 2005, Richards joined Manchester City's first team. He made his first team debut on 22 October 2005 against Arsenal. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss. He later said it was the most memorable day of his life.

His first start was on 12 February 2006, in a 3–2 win over Charlton Athletic. He scored his first goal on 19 February, heading in a last-minute corner to draw 1–1 against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he had played 16 games and scored once.

In July 2006, Manchester City turned down a £5 million offer for Richards from Tottenham Hotspur. He signed a new four-year contract on 25 July 2006. At the start of the 2006–07 season, Richards helped his team keep two clean sheets. He scored his first goal of the season on 30 September 2006, in a 1–1 draw against Everton. He was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

In the 2007–08 season, Richards continued to play well. He helped Manchester City's defense keep three clean sheets in their first three league games. This included a game against their rivals, Manchester United. He was even named the Barclays Player of the Month for August. On 16 September 2007, he captained the team for the first time against Aston Villa. This made him City's youngest ever first-team captain. He said it was the "proudest moment" of his career. He signed an improved contract in February 2008, keeping him at the club until 2013.

Richards playing for Manchester City in 2010.

At the start of the 2008–09 season, Richards returned from injury. He helped Manchester City win 3–0 against Sunderland on 31 August 2008. He continued to play as a right-back, even with competition from other players. On 22 March 2009, he scored his first goal of the season, a header that gave his team a 1–0 win over Sunderland. He played 50 games and scored once in all competitions that season.

In July 2009, Richards had swine flu while on holiday. He recovered and played in the club's pre-season games. At the start of the 2009–10 season, he helped his team keep three clean sheets in the first three league matches. He played a key role against Arsenal on 12 September 2009, scoring and setting up two goals in a 4–2 win. He scored two goals that season and played 29 games.

Richards passes the ball as Luis Henríquez looks on; Manchester City were playing against Lech Poznań in November 2010.

Before the 2010–11 season, Richards said he wanted to stay at Manchester City. He scored his first goal of the season on 27 November 2010, in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City. He scored two more goals in the FA Cup that season. Richards started for City when they beat Stoke City 1–0 in the 2011 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. He played 31 games and scored three times that season.

At the start of the 2011–12 season, Richards helped Manchester City get a great start by setting up two goals in the first two league games. He signed a contract extension until 2015. He played his first UEFA Champions League game in a 2–0 loss against Bayern Munich. He became a regular starter at right-back. He set up two goals in two matches in October 2011, including one in a big 6–1 win over rivals Manchester United. He also made his 200th appearance for Manchester City. He scored his first goal of the season on 19 November 2011, in a 3–1 win over Newcastle United. Manchester City won the Premier League in 2011–12. Richards played 37 games and scored once, and he had five assists, which was the most for any defender in the Premier League.

Richards (second left) on an open-top bus victory parade after Manchester City won the Premier League, 2012.

At the start of the 2012–13 season, Richards had an ankle injury during the Summer Olympics. He returned to play on 6 October 2012, in a 3–0 win over Sunderland. However, he suffered a knee injury in a 1–0 win over Swansea City and was out for four months. He returned in April 2013 but played only eight games that season.

For the 2013–14 season, Richards wanted to get back into the starting team. He dismissed rumors that he was leaving the club. He made his first appearance of the season on 24 September 2013, captaining the team and setting up a goal in a 5–0 win over Wigan Athletic. He played only two league games that season. Manchester City won the league again in 2013–14, but Richards did not play enough games to get a Premier League winner's medal.

Richards left Manchester City on 10 June 2015. He was seen as a "true survivor" at the club since its takeover in 2008.

Loan to Fiorentina

On 1 September 2014, Richards joined Fiorentina in Italy on a season-long loan. He made his debut on 18 September 2014 in a UEFA Europa League match, helping his team win 3–0. He played 10 league games and 7 European games for Fiorentina. He decided not to stay with the club after his loan ended.

Time at Aston Villa

On 17 June 2015, Richards signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa. He joined the club for free. He was named the team captain for the upcoming Premier League season on 5 August. In his first game, Villa won 1–0 against AFC Bournemouth.

On 28 November 2015, he scored his first goal for Villa, a header in a 2–3 loss to Watford. He then scored his second goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup. As captain, Richards and his team struggled and were relegated to the Championship. He played 28 games and scored two goals that season.

In the 2016–17 season, Richards played his first game on 10 August 2016 against Luton Town. He captained the team in a 3–1 loss. He then suffered a knee injury that kept him out until the new year. He made only three appearances that season.

Richards did not play any games in the 2017–18 or 2018–19 seasons due to ongoing knee problems. He was released by Aston Villa at the end of the 2018–19 season. He announced his retirement from playing football on 26 July 2019, at the age of 31.

International Football

England Youth Teams

Richards played two games for the England under-16 team. He was also called up to the England U18 and England U19 teams.

England Under-21 Team

On 16 August 2006, Richards made his England U21 debut in a 2–2 draw against Moldova U21. He played regularly for the under-21s. He was part of the team for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden. He scored the winning goal against Finland, helping England reach the final. England lost 4–0 to Germany in the final. Richards played in four of England's five matches, including the final.

England Senior Team

In November 2006, Richards was called up to the England squad for a friendly game against the Netherlands. He had only played 28 professional club games at that time. He started the match on 15 November 2006. This made him England's youngest-ever defender, breaking the record held by Rio Ferdinand. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, and experts praised Richards' performance.

He scored his first international goal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel on 8 September 2007 at Wembley Stadium. Richards played 11 games for England when Steve McClaren was the manager.

However, after McClaren left in November 2007, Richards played less for England. He only played once under the next manager, Fabio Capello. After Capello resigned in February 2012, Richards was called back to the England team. However, he was not chosen for the UEFA Euro 2012 squad.

Great Britain Olympic Team

On 28 June 2012, Richards was chosen as one of the three older players for the Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He played all the matches in the tournament. Great Britain was knocked out by South Korea U23 after a penalty shootout.

Life After Football

Media Career

After retiring from playing, Micah Richards became a football pundit. He works for Sky Sports and BBC Sport, appearing on radio and TV shows like Match of the Day. He also hosts a podcast called The Rest is Football. He is also a part of CBS Sports's UEFA Champions League coverage, where he is known for his fun discussions with Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry.

Baller League UK

In November 2024, it was announced that Richards would manage one of the 12 teams in the new six-a-side football league called Baller League UK. He managed the team Deportrio, alongside famous footballers Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker.

Personal Life

Micah Richards' family comes from Saint Kitts and Nevis. His father moved from Basseterre to England in the 1960s. Richards has said his father was a big influence on his career. His first cousin, Atiba Harris, is also a former professional footballer. Richards supported Arsenal when he was young because he liked Ian Wright.

Richards has been involved with Kick It Out, a campaign that fights against unfair treatment in football. In February 2022, Richards and fellow pundit Chris Sutton spoke about mental health issues they faced during their playing careers.

He has a son.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Source:

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Richards goal.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	8 September 2007	Wembley Stadium, London, England	6	Israel	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification

Awards and Achievements

Manchester City

• Premier League: 2011–12
• FA Cup: 2010–11

England U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2009

Individual Awards

• Premier League Player of the Month: August 2007
• Young Sportsperson of the Year: 2007

See also

In Spanish: Micah Richards para niños