Micah Lincoln Richards was born in Birmingham on the 24th of June 1988 and became a player heralded, at one stage, as a world star, but one whose City career was ultimately ended by injuries. He began playing football when he was young, representing Leeds Schools FA (Leeds City Boys) at a young age and playing for the Leeds United youth system as a striker, but was released when he was around eight years old. Later he moved to playing either centre-back or right-back and played for the Oldham Athletic youth system before moving to Manchester City as a 14-year-old. In July 2006, Manchester City reportedly tried to buy out the 20% sell on clause, but Oldham refused. Micah also attended the Brazilian Soccer Schools scheme and retains strong links with the programme, with his father Lincoln running a Brazilian Soccer School in Chapeltown, Leeds. Progressing through the ranks of Manchester City's Youth team and reserve team he signed his first professional contract with the club in 2005. He made his debut aged 17, captained the club's young side to the 2006 FA Youth Cup, scored a last-gasp equaliser in a cup game at Aston Villa before famously swearing on TV, becoming the youngest England defender to represent his country and was central to the FA Cup and Premier League wins which ended years of trophy-less hurt. In July 2006, after Manchester City rejected a bid of £5 million from Tottenham Hotspur, he signed a new four-year contract, quashing any rumours of a move away. In the 2007–08 season he continued to be in the first team, having recovered from a calf injury and he was named the Barclays Player of the Month award for August. When he captained the team for the first time on the 16th of September 2007 he became City's youngest ever first-team captain. It was announced on the 8th of February 2008 that he had signed an improved contract to last until June 2013 but by the end of February had suffered a knee injury that saw him sidelined for six weeks and he never played for the side for the rest of the 2007–08 season. Despite this he was nominated for a second time for the PFA Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season. The take-over of the club by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 made it difficult for youngsters to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips, and homegrown players were being phased out in favour of big-money recruits ready to make an assault on silverware. The only one to make the grade at the new-look City was Micah, who was one of City’s best players under Roberto Mancini, a marauding right-back with increased defensive nous and was a huge part of the club's first league title win in 44 years. However, a nasty knee injury early the following campaign signalled a decline; a downward spiral he was unable to reverse. Mancini’s dismissal at the end of that season didn't help; his mentor was gone and he faced a fresh assessment from manager Manuel Pellegrini who appeared to know very little about his past. Injuries further limited his playing time and in 2015 he was released by City after a season on loan at Fiorentina and he joined Aston Villa in 2015. Here he played 31 times until October 2016, with several knee injuries restricting his appearances before announcing his retirement in July 2019 and he became a football pundit. Micah tells how he knew his time was up. "At Manchester City, I was always in the top three picks. You know when you are playing in training in five-a-side, I was always top three picks. I went to Fiorentina and I was always like top five picks. So we go away with Aston Villa and bear in mind Aston Villa are not a great team. They have got like five or six youngsters coming in and you have the first-team, I remember, the thing is though it wasn't even five-a-side, it was nine-a-side. You had two captains, and you know whoever is looking after the session, you are thinking I want to be captain and not get embarrassed, and he put two of the younger lads as captain. And honestly, pick one goes. Pick two, three, four and it gets to about ten, we’re halfway through at this point. I am thinking, have they not seen my career? I've won the Premier League! I’ve won the FA Cup! I burst on the scene! I am not even exaggerating, I was the last pick. It was time. It continues into the dressing room that Micah was last pick. That was demoralising and that's when I knew it was time to go."
The landing and corridor area leading to the press lounge at the Etihad stadium remain a shrine to Micah Richards, with giant pictures of all his major achievements lined up proudly for visitors to admire. It’s a clear sign he’s a player held in the very highest regard by those at the top of the day-to-day running of the club.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/09/footballs-nearly-men-chris-kirkland.html
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