Micah Richards is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back and is now a football pundit. He began his career at Manchester City and went on to play in the Premier League and English Football League for both Manchester City and Aston Villa. He also played for Fiorentina in Italy's Serie A. Richards made his full England debut in November 2006, becoming the youngest defender to be called up to the England squad at the time. He won a total of 13 caps for England between 2006 and 2012 and was part of the Great Britain squad for the 2012 Olympic football tournament. Richards retired from professional football in July 2019 due to several knee injuries, having made 245 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City and winning a Premier League title and an FA Cup. After retiring, he transitioned into a football punditry role.
Micah Richards, a retired English footballer renowned for his position as a right defender, made a name for himself playing for Manchester City and Aston Villa in the Premier League and English Football League. Additionally, he also plied his trade at Fiorentina in Serie A, cementing his status as a versatile and accomplished player. His contribution to Manchester City's success earned him the position of club ambassador, a role he currently holds with pride.
Micah Richards, born on June 24, 1988, is a 34-year-old football player from Birmingham, England. He was raised in Chapeltown, Leeds, and is a Virgo. Micah Lincoln Richards is his full name, and he grew up with his parents and siblings in England. Richards is of Kittitian origin via his father, who came to England from Basseterre in the 1960s. He is a British citizen and of Mixed ethnicity, and his faith is Christianity. Richards attended a local high school, but his higher education details are unknown. Richards credits his father for being a significant influence on his career and keeping him grounded while growing up. He also credits former teammate Richard Dunne for being a big influence on his early career. His first cousin, Atiba Harris, is also a professional footballer and a long-time captain of Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team. Richards has two brothers who played football but never became professionals. Although he likes Leeds United, he supported Arsenal because of Ian Wright's great character and goal celebrations, which always made him smile. Richards mentioned that he did okay at school and got Cs in GCSEs Maths, English, and Science.
Micah Richards grew up in Chapeltown, Leeds, and started playing football at a young age. He played for the Leeds United youth system as a striker, but he was released when he was around eight years old. Richards later moved to play in either the center-half or right-back positions. He then played for the Oldham Athletic youth system, and at the age of 14, he moved to Manchester City. Richards progressed through the ranks of Manchester City's Youth Team and Reserve Team, and he later signed his first professional contract with the club in 2005.
Micah Richards made his first appearance for Manchester City's first team in October 2005 against Arsenal. He played his first full 90 minutes in a 3-2 win over Charlton Athletic, and his first goal came in February 2006, heading in a last-minute corner to earn a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Despite being linked to Tottenham Hotspur in July 2006, Richards signed a new four-year contract with Manchester City. He played in every match until being dropped in December 2006 due to a leg injury following a loss against Tottenham Hotspur, but he made his return from injury on Boxing Day against Sheffield United, helping to keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 win. In the 2007–08 season, Richards continued to be in the first team, starting the season well by helping Manchester City's defense keep three clean sheets in the first three league matches, including against rivals, Manchester United. He was named the Barclays Player of the Month award for August and captained the team for the first time on 16 September 2007 against Aston Villa. In the 2007-2008 season, he regained his first-team place and played in the right-back position, but a knee injury sidelined him for six weeks, and he never played for the side for the rest of the season, although he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Richards played his first full match in the 2008-2009 season after his injury in the UEFA Cup, but he suffered a concussion during a 3-0 win over West Ham United. However, he returned to the first team and continued to regain his first-team place despite facing competition from other players. During the 2009-2010 season, Richards was sidelined due to his own injury concerns but still made 29 appearances and scored twice in all competitions. In the 2010-2011 season, he played as a right-back and a center-back and set up the club's second goal of the game in a 3-0 win over Liverpool. He continued to face competitions but played in the starting line-up for the first five league matches of the season. Richards announced his intention to stay at the club ahead of the season, and Manager Robert Mancini expected him to fight for his first team place. Despite facing some injury concerns, Richards made 34 appearances in all competitions and scored twice in the 2010-2011 season.
Richards had a good start to the 2011-12 season, setting up goals in the first two league matches and signing a contract extension with Manchester City. He played in the right-back position and established himself in the starting eleven. However, he was rotated under Mancini's management and found himself dropped from the first team at times. Richards captained the side on three occasions and finished the season with thirty-seven appearances, one goal, and five assists. During the 2012-13 season, Richards suffered ankle and knee injuries that sidelined him for a total of five months. He returned to full training in mid-September and made his first appearance in October. After his return from injury in April, he made eight appearances in all competitions, including being a captain against Reading.
At the start of the 2012-2013 season, Manchester City defender Micah Richards suffered an ankle injury during the Summer Olympics tournament that sidelined him for a month. After returning to full training in mid-September, he made his first appearance of the season on October 6th, starting the whole game in a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Richards went on to make three more appearances in October before suffering a knee injury during a 1-0 win over Swansea City, which left him out of action for four months. Although he returned to full training in March 2013, his comeback to the first team was short-lived, as he was dropped by manager Roberto Mancini for the FA Cup Final. Richards eventually made his return to the starting lineup for the remaining three matches of the season, including captaining the side against Reading on May 14th, 2013. He made eight appearances in all competitions that season. The following season, Richards vowed to fight his way back into the starting lineup under new manager Manuel Pellegrini. Despite dismissing transfer speculation that he was leaving the club, he was sidelined with a thigh injury throughout August. Richards made his first appearance of the season on September 24th, starting as captain and setting up the club's second goal in a 5-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the League Cup. He later made his first Premier League appearance of the season on October 19th in a 3-1 win over West Ham United but lost his place in the first team to Pablo Zabaleta. Richards suffered a hamstring injury during a UEFA Champions League Group Stage match against Bayern Munich on December 10th, sidelining him for a month. He made his return from injury on January 15th, 2014, starting a match in a 5-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the third-round replay of the FA Cup. However, his first-team opportunities continued to be limited for the rest of the season, and he turned down a new contract offered by the club in March 2014, leaving his future uncertain. In June 2015, Manchester City released Richards, who later believed that the club would not use youngsters in the future.
Richards signed for Fiorentina on a season-long loan on 1 September 2014, for a fee of £3.5m rising to £4.7m if the transfer became permanent. He made his Fiorentina debut on 18 September, coming on as a substitute and setting up the third goal in a 3–0 win against Guingamp in the UEFA Europa League. Three days later, he made his league debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 win against Atalanta. He made 10 appearances in Serie A and seven in European competitions but did not stay at the club beyond his loan, citing the team's change in formation to 3–5–2 and his own injury concerns. Micah then signed for Aston Villa on a free transfer on June 17, 2015, and was named the on-field captain for the upcoming Premier League season on August 5. He scored his first goal for the club on November 28, 2015, but suffered a knee injury that saw him miss four matches. Richards was featured in and out of the first team towards the end of the 2015–16 season, as the club was relegated to Championship. Despite several clubs being rumored to be interested in signing him, he stayed at Aston Villa after their relegation, and he did not make a single appearance in 2017–18 due to a consistent lack of fitness. Richards was released by Aston Villa at the end of the 2018–19 season and announced his retirement from playing on July 26, 2019, at the age of 31.
Micah Richards' international career began with two appearances for England's under-16 side. Over the next two years, he was called up to the England U18 and U19 teams. He made his England U21 debut on 16 August 2006 in a 2-2 draw against Moldova U21. During a match against German U21s on 10 October 2006, an opposition player racially abused both Richards and Anton, Ferdinand, leading to the player being banned for two matches, a suspension that was later overturned. Richards continued to play regularly for England's U21s and scored the winning goal against Finland in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stages. Although England reached the final, they lost 4-0 to Germany. Richards captained England's U21s on three occasions, and during qualifying for the 2011 tournament, he led the team. However, he had to withdraw from the squad for the finals due to injury.
Richards received his call-up to the England senior squad in November 2006 for a friendly against the Netherlands after playing only 28 professional club matches. He made his international debut in the match and was praised by pundits Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer. Richards scored his first international goal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel in September 2007 at Wembley Stadium. He played regularly for England under Steve McClaren, but after McClaren's sacking in November 2007, Richards fell out of favor. In Fabio Capello's four years in charge, Richards played only once, as a substitute against France in November 2010. He spoke of his frustration at being frozen out of the international team, saying that he had never received an answer as to why. After Capello's resignation in February 2012, Richards was recalled to the England team by caretaker coach Stuart Pearce, who had coached him at Manchester City and for the under-21s. However, he was omitted from Roy Hodgson's squad for UEFA Euro 2012, with Hodgson choosing Phil Jones instead. Richards was selected as one of the over-aged players for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics and played in all of their matches, which ended in elimination by South Korea U23 on penalties.
Richard's profession also involves being a pundit for Sky Sports and BBC Sport, where he makes appearances on various radio and television programs, such as Match of the Day. Additionally, he contributes to CBS Sports' UEFA Champions League coverage. His trademark is his unique laugh which is often associated with his punditry.
Manchester City
FA Cup: 2010–11
England U21
Individual
Micah Richards is unmarried and he has not disclosed any information about his current or past relationships. He has always kept his personal life private and away from the media. In interviews, he has often focused on his career and has not revealed any details about his love life. As of now, he is reportedly single and not in a relationship. Richards is known for keeping a low profile and has never been involved in any controversies related to his personal life. He prefers to keep his focus on football and is determined to achieve his goals. It is possible that he may choose to reveal more information about his relationships in the future, but for now, his fans can only speculate. He is enjoying his single life happily without any disturbances. His sexual orientation is straight.
Micah Richards has had a successful football career, which has undoubtedly contributed significantly to his net worth. He signed his first professional contract with Manchester City in 2005 and played for the club for a decade before moving to Fiorentina in Italy in 2014. He also played for Aston Villa before retiring in 2019. In addition to his club career, Richards also played for the England national team, representing his country at various levels from Under-16s to the senior team. Aside from his football career, Richards has also worked as a pundit and analyst for various media outlets, including the BBC and Sky Sports. He has also appeared in advertisements and commercials for brands such as Nike and EA Sports. These additional sources of income have likely contributed to his net worth, which is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million as of 2023. He is living a lavish lifestyle from his career earnings and he also does have expensive cars and a beautiful mansion.
Micah Richards is known for his athletic physique, which he has maintained throughout his football career. He stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and has a lean build, weighing approximately 83 KG. Richards has warm black eyes that complement his jet-black locks, which he often keeps short and styled in a neat buzz cut. However, there is no information available on Micah Richards' chest-waist-hip measurements, dress size, shoe size, biceps, or other physical features. Despite this, he is regarded as one of the fittest players in the Premier League during his career and was often praised for his strength, agility, and speed on the field. He has got a healthy body at present and he is a fitness freak.
Micah Richards showed an early interest in and talent for football. He began playing at a young age and joined the Leeds United youth system as a striker. However, he was released from the team when he was around eight years old. Despite this setback, Richards continued to pursue his passion for football and began playing in either the center–half or right–back positions. This proved to be a wise decision as Richards later went on to play for the Oldham Athletic youth system before being scouted by Manchester City as a 14-year-old. He progressed through the ranks of Manchester City's Youth Team and Reserve Team and signed his first professional contract with the club in 2005. Richards' determination to continue playing football despite his early setback with Leeds United is a testament to his passion for the sport and his perseverance.
In July 2009, while on vacation in Cyprus, Micah Richards contracted the H1N1 influenza virus, commonly known as swine flu. Upon returning to England, he was immediately quarantined and kept in isolation for a few days to avoid spreading the virus to others. Richards was one of the first high-profile athletes to contract the virus, and his diagnosis made headlines around the world. Despite the serious nature of his illness, Richards made a full recovery and was able to return to playing football shortly after his quarantine ended. His experience with swine flu brought attention to the virus and the importance of taking precautions to prevent its spread, especially during a pandemic.
Micah Richards announced his retirement from playing on 26 July 2019, at the age of 31. Richards had been struggling with injuries in recent years and had not played a competitive match since October 2016. In his retirement statement, Richards thanked his family, friends, and fans for their support throughout his career and expressed his gratitude for the opportunities he had been given. Following his retirement, Richards transitioned into a career in broadcasting and punditry, working for various media outlets such as BBC, Sky Sports, and CBS Sports. He has become a popular and respected figure in the world of football media, known for his insightful analysis and charismatic personality.
Micah represented the England national team in his football career, earning a total of 13 caps. He made his senior debut on 15 November 2006 against the Netherlands in a friendly match. Richards was also part of the England under-21 team, making 12 appearances and scoring 2 goals. His first international goal for the senior team came on 8 September 2007 in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel at Wembley Stadium. Richards played the full 90 minutes in that match and scored the third goal in a 3-0 win for England. He continued to represent England over the years, making his last appearance in a friendly match against France on 17 November 2010.
Micah Richards has always been proud of his Kittitian roots and has spoken openly about his heritage. His father, Lincoln, moved to England from Basseterre, the capital city of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in the 1960s. As a result, Richards is of Kittitian descent through his father. Richards has spoken in the past about the influence his father had on his life and career, with Lincoln playing a significant role in keeping his son grounded while growing up. Alongside his father, Richards has credited former teammate Richard Dunne as being a big influence on his early career. Despite his father's influence, Richards has never visited Saint Kitts and Nevis, although he has expressed a desire to do so in the future.