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Micah Richards was an exciting right-back who rose through the ranks at Manchester City.
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Having won trophies with the club, injury sadly curtailed his career and he retired early.
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A lucrative second career as a TV pundit however has seen him consolidate his wealth.
Micah Richards Estimated Wealth
The precise wealth of Micah Richards is difficult to define, but it is widely estimated to be around £4m. Richards has amassed plenty of money, but his career has not been as lucrative as many of the players who lined up next to him.
At Manchester City, he increased his salary as he fought his way into the first team. In 2011, Richards dismissed claims he was holding out for £100,000 at City in order to sign a new contract as nonsense.
He was thought to be on £65,000 per week in his final seasons at City, and never secured a six-figure weekly salary during his career. When he was released from his Aston Villa contract he was on £35,000 per week.
Despite a career that was curtailed by injury, Richards will still have boosted his earnings with various sponsorship deals, such as a boot deal with Adidas in 2006.
After retirement, he became an ambassador for Manchester City, but it is his developing TV career that has helped him increase his wealth.
Those who like online betting on football will have watched him covering many games. Micah now works for the BBC and Sky Sports as a football pundit, regularly appearing across radio and television channels.
Micah Richards Clubs
Born In Birmingham in June 1988, Richards moved to Leeds as a child and began his career by representing Leeds City School Boys.
He then played for the youth teams of Leeds United and Oldham Athletic, before joining Manchester City’s ranks in 2001, where he developed at one of the top football academies in the country.
He made his senior debut in October 2005 and remained at the club for 14 years, making 245 appearances for the club. He played a major part in City securing their first two trophies in a generation.
Having fallen out of favour at City, not helped by regular injuries, Richards moved to Fiorentina on loan in 2014. However, he failed to hold down a regular spot there too, making just 10 appearances during his one season in Italy.
In 2015, he made the move to Aston Villa, but injuries continued to take their toll, and he made only 26 appearances during four years at the club, all in the first two years of his stay.
Micah Richards Trophies
All of Micah Richard’s honours have come in a fairly short period of time while at Manchester City.
He was in the starting line-up for the team that won its first trophy in 35 years when securing the FA Cup with a victory over Stoke City in 2011, six years after his debut at the club.
The following season, City won their first top-flight league title in 44 years, after a dramatic last-day 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers.
Roberto Mancini’s final season was a disappointment, but under his successor Manuel Pellegrini, City won a domestic double.
City were victorious in the League Cup and also won the Premier League once more, but a lack of appearances due to a series of injuries meant Richards did not receive a medal for City’s league exploits.
Premier League Odds odds suggest City will add another title to their impressive tally in 2022.
Micah Richards & Roy Keane
Micah Richards and Roy Keane have blossomed as an unlikely combination having regularly appeared alongside each other on Sky Sports.
They provide viewers with a chalk and cheese double act that has proved a huge hit with millions, Richard’s constant upbeat nature in stark contrast to the serious and often scathing nature of Keane’s analysis. Many consider them two of the best football pundits around.
Richards often publishes clips online of behind-the-scenes videos, that help show the lighter side of his colleague, and highlight the wonderful relationship they have developed.
Keane has even taken to posting pictures on Instagram as football fans begin to appreciate a new side to his character.
What is clear is that Richards and Keane have genuine affection for each other and Richards has commented on how his lesser success as a player compared to Keane, one of the best midfielders in Premier League history, has seen him take a different approach to his role.
Micah Richards Laugh
Micah Richards has forged a successful career in football punditry, showing that his knowledge of the game as an ex-player is greatly respected.
However, his regular appearances on our TV screens have seen become almost as well-known not for his views on the sport, but his infectious and bellowing laugh.
Those that have seen Richards on TV will know that he likes to take the positives from football, and his ability not to take things too seriously has been a breath of fresh air for many fans.
Many have also commented on how contagious it is to see and hear Richards laugh, and they often end up smiling themselves.
Richards has commented on how he smiles so much because he is doing a job he loves, even if initially he was unsure about a media career.
Why Did Micah Richards Retire?
In July 2019, at the age of 31, Micah Richards announced his retirement having lost his long-standing battle against persistent knee problems.
Having failed to play any football for well over two years, he apologised to the fans of his last team Aston Villa as they had not seen the best of him.
Having had four operations on his knee, and having fluid removed twice a week, he eventually accepted that he could play no more. He regrets the abuse he received at the time when no one realised what he was going through.
Despite a career often blighted by injury, Richards spoke of his pride at realising two of his dreams – to win the Premier League and play for England.
During his career, he played 295 games for City, Fiorentina and Villa and won 13 England caps between 2006 and 2012.
In interviews, Richards has recalled how retiring left him very down, but that his blossoming media career saw him regain a zest for life.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 26th October 2021
