Micah Richards

By Craig · Published 9 November 2026

Micah Richards scored a last-minute FA Cup equaliser at 17 and swore about it live on BBC One. Nine months later he was the youngest defender England had ever picked. He won the league with Manchester City in 2012, saw his career cut short by knee injuries, and is now one of the best-loved voices in football broadcasting.

Clubs

Manchester City, Fiorentina (loan), Aston Villa

Premier League

203 appearances, 8 goals

Honours

Premier League 2011/12, FA Cup 2010/11

International

13 England caps, 1 goal; Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics

Fantasy price

£5.0m in 2006/07

How he arrived

Richards was born in Birmingham and grew up in Chapeltown, Leeds. He started out as a striker with Leeds United's youngsters, and they released him at eight. He moved on to Oldham Athletic's youth system, and at 14 he joined Manchester City.

He signed his first professional contract in 2005 and made his debut that October, coming on for Danny Mills in the 85th minute of a 1-0 defeat away at Arsenal. He was 17: a right-back who could also play centre-half, and within a few months everyone knew his name.

The moment: Villa Park, 19 February 2006

An FA Cup fifth-round tie on a Sunday afternoon, live on BBC One. Milan Baroš put Aston Villa ahead after 72 minutes. Richards, City's youth team captain and making only his second start, had already seen one header cleared off the line by James Milner. In the last minute Joey Barton swung in a corner from the right, and this time Richards headed it in. It finished 1-1, and City had a replay.

Then Garth Crooks met him with a microphone. "How does it feel to score an equalising goal in the last minute? Good?" The 17-year-old was too excited to filter himself, and a four-letter word went out to the nation. Crooks reminded him, kindly, that he was talking to a national audience. His mum was less forgiving.

Richards has never been allowed to forget it. He later said he was remembered for "swearing live on BBC One on a Sunday afternoon".

The other moment: Amsterdam, 15 November 2006

Steve McClaren gave him his England debut against the Netherlands, starting at right-back in place of the injuredGary Neville. He was 18 years and 144 days old, the youngest defender England had ever capped. The game finished 1-1 and he kept Arjen Robben quiet.

"He is an exciting player, the new breed of player," said McClaren. In August 2007 Richards was the Premier League's Player of the Month, and Sven-Göran Eriksson, who won the manager's award for the same month, said: "Micah deserves the award more than me." A few weeks later Richards scored his only England goal, in a 3-0 win over Israel at Wembley.

The title, then the knees

He became City's youngest ever captain in 2007/08, standing in when Richard Dunne was out. He stayed as the club changed around him, and he was there when the trophies came: the FA Cup in 2011, then the title in 2011/12, when he played 29 league games and scored once. It wasn't all smooth. In a 3-3 draw with Sunderland in March 2012 Roberto Mancini took him off at half-time, and Pablo Zabaleta took over at right-back.

Then his body let him down. He went to London 2012 as one of Great Britain's over-age players and came back injured, and soon after hurt his knee against Swansea. He played nine Premier League games in the next three seasons. A season-long loan at Fiorentina in 2014/15 brought 17 appearances, but Vincenzo Montella switched to a back three and Richards never really fitted.

Aston Villa signed him on a free in the summer of 2015 and made him captain. He led them to a 1-0 win at Bournemouth on the opening day, but Villa went down with 17 points in 2015/16. In January, after an FA Cup draw with Wycombe, he walked over to angry supporters behind the dugout to face them. "It was brave of him to do that," said Rémi Garde. His knee went again against Wolves in October 2016, he never played again, and he retired in July 2019, aged 31.

Why the streets won't forget

For a couple of seasons he looked like the future of English defending. Big, quick, capped at 18, Player of the Month at 19. "People forget I was 18 when I made my England debut," he said in 2016. It's easy to forget because what came later was so stop-start.

He's also one of the few players who bridge both versions of Manchester City. He was the academy kid whose header earned a cup replay at Villa Park, and he was a regular in the side that won the league six years later. He says that team "kickstarted this new era, and the club has never looked back".

For a retro squad, the early years are the interesting ones: a defender who played 28 league games at 18 in2006/07 and 34 in 2008/09, before the injuries started to pile up.

Where is he now

Richards retired in 2019 and turned into one of the most popular pundits in the game. He is a regular on the BBC's football coverage, including Match of the Day, and was part of BBC One's team at the 2026 World Cup. He co-hosts The Rest Is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, and has also worked for Sky Sports.

In the US he has been part of CBS Sports' Champions League studio with Thierry Henry,Jamie Carragher and presenter Kate Scott, where the panel spends much of its time laughing at, or with, Richards. He also works with Manchester City as a club representative and with the club's charity, Cityzens Giving.

The teenager who swore live on BBC One is now one of the BBC's most familiar faces.

Which seasons can you draft him in?

Seven. He isn't in the game's squads for 2005/06, 2012/13 or 2013/14.

Want a teenage England defender at the back of your retro side? Draft a squad from2006/07.