Micah Lincoln Richards burst onto the scene as a teenager, quickly establishing himself as a regular starter for Manchester City and soon after receiving an England call-up.
A powerful, all-action right-back who liked to bomb forward given half a chance, he was one of only a few players who excelled both pre and post-takeover at the Etihad, going on to win the Premier League and a FA Cup.
| Per year | €232,932 | £200,057 |
| Per month | €19,411 | £16,671 |
| Per week | €4,479 | £3,846 |
| Per day | €638 | £547 |
| Per hour | €26 | £22 |
| Per minute | €0 | £0 |
In 2015, aged 27, Richards moved to Aston Villa but by now injuries were curtailing what was once a highly promising career. He retired four years later, a long-standing knee issue forcing his hand.
A second career in the media beckoned for a pundit with an infectious laugh and easy demeanour and Richards’ star continues to shine bright as a regular fixture on Sky Sports, Match of the Day and covering the Champions League for CBS Sports.
Club Career
Born in Birmingham on June 24th,1988, Richards grew up a hundred miles north in Chapeltown, Leeds.
There he was scouted at a young age by Leeds United but, failing to make the grade as a striker, he was released, transferring to Oldham Athletic’s youth academy whereupon he reinvented himself as a defender.
Impressed by what they saw, it didn’t take long for Manchester City to come calling and at City he was fast-tracked through the ranks, his blend of tough-tackling and trickery – his father ran a Brazilian Soccer School in Yorkshire – marking him out as one to watch.
It only took a handful of games with the Blues for the youngster to prove himself TV gold, swearing on live television after netting a late FA Cup equaliser against Aston Villa. A season later he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year merit, losing out to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The player’s peak years in Manchester were unquestionably under the tutelage of Roberto Mancini, helping his recently minted club secure a league crown in spectacular, last-gasp fashion.
From that high-point on regrettably, Richards was on a downward curve at City, frustrated at playing second fiddle to Pablo Zabaleta.
A season-long loan spell in Italy followed, an enjoyable experience with Fiorentina but one blighted by injuries before a free transfer to Aston Villa offered up the opportunity to revive his fortunes.
Alas, despite being made captain, Richards struggled for fitness in the Midlands, a situation not helped by the Villans consistently being tipped to drop in the football betting.
England Career
With just 28 professional appearances in the bank, Richards was handed a full international debut against the Netherlands in the winter of 2006 and with Gary Neville’s time at the top nearing its end it was felt that the City man could be his long-term successor.
Unfortunately, twelve months later Fabio Capello stepped into the England dug-out and evidently didn’t rate the young star one bit, restricting him to just a brief singular appearance off the bench. Richards’ international career never really recovered from this.
To compensate, he took on the captaincy role as an over-aged player in the Under 21 set-up, even reaching a Euro final at that level. In the 2012 London Olympics he was again an over-aged presence, playing every game for Team GB.
Life As A Pundit
“I’m just having fun like a normal guy, down the pub, watching football with friends. People relate to that.”
That was Richards when asked by a broadsheet newspaper to summarize his punditry style and though he was clearly being self-effacing, there is also a lot of truth in what he says.
Agreeing to do match analysis for Sky just 18 months after retiring from the game, Richard quickly found himself a big hit with the public, who responded well to his candid insights into the life of a professional footballer in addition to sparking up the unlikeliest of bromances with Roy Keane.
Regular guest spots on A League Of Their own followed while for the BBC, his chemistry with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer has parlayed into a successful podcast.
Chemistry with his colleagues also explains why CBS’s Champions League coverage has been so hugely popular in recent seasons, viewers delighting in the banter between Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Richards, and host Kate Abdo.
It really does feel like friends down the pub, having a laugh.
His enthusiasm for the matches, and the most skilful players on display, coupled with tactical nous has swiftly transformed Micah Richards into one of the most well-known and well-loved pundits around.
And that, inevitably, has significantly boosted his profile and significantly boosted his bank balance.
How Much Is Micah Richards Worth?
Richards has been admirably open about the vast fortunes he earned across his playing career and how he squandered so much of it.
There have been all manner of hilarious admissions on the Rest Is Football podcast concerning his jet-set lifestyle, and these include hosting a party in Miami that cost the same as a two-bed semi in Chapeltown and once splurging on an expensive yellow suit just because it matched his yellow supercar.
There was also the time he upgraded his Aston Martin when still a teenager for a top-of-the-range Ferrari to ensure he had the best car in the Manchester City parking bays.
One particular quote of his stands out. “You’re just a kid and suddenly, you’re buying a house with a pool for £3m.”
Has he learnt to be less extravagant as he has gotten older? What’s the betting he hasn’t going off another of his candid confessions, this time to a visibly shocked Thierry Henry.
On a recent Champions League night Richards declared that he gets three haircuts a week, each costing £200.
Breaking down his income is difficult when looking back on his playing career, as much of the information is not available for that period, but we do know that he was on £50,000 a week during his latter days at City, an amount that greatly increased on joining Villa.
This of course is before we factor in a bumper signing-on fee and bonuses.
Presently, Richard earns £200,000 per annum via the BBC and double that for Sky. It’s safe to assume that CBS pay him handsomely too.
Away from the TV cameras meanwhile, there have been lucrative collaborations with WeBuyAnyCar and Optimum Nutrition and all told Micah Richards’ net worth is estimated to be north of £30m.
*Credit for the photo in this article belongs to Alamy*
