Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English football pundit and former professional player who played as a right-back.

Richards began his senior career with Manchester City and made 245 appearances across all competitions in ten seasons, winning a Premier League title and an FA Cup.

[15] Richards made his first-team debut on 22 October 2005 against Arsenal, coming on as a substitute for Danny Mills in the 85th minute of a 1–0 defeat at Highbury.

[18] His first goal came on 19 February, heading in a last-minute corner to earn a 1–1 draw away to Aston Villa in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

[25] However, during a 1–0 loss against Reading on 11 September 2006, he was criticised by Pearce after reacting furiously when he was substituted in the 60th minute and threw his shirt to the ground and waved his arms in disgust.

[33] However, Richards suffered a calf injury and had to be substituted during a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough on 17 March 2007, resulting in him sidelined for the remaining matches of the season.

At the start of the 2008–09 season, Richards played his first full match back from injury in the 2–0 win against EB/Streymur in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup on 17 July 2008.

[53] However, during a 3–0 win over West Ham United on 24 August 2008, he collided with team-mate Tal Ben Haim after a clash of heads, resulting in him being substituted and taken to hospital with a concussion.

[56] He then captained Manchester City for the first time this season, helping the side progress to the UEFA Cup group stage after beating Omonia 2–1 on 2 October 2008.

[59] On 22 March 2009, he scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season with a header in a man of the match performance giving a 1–0 victory over Sunderland at the City of Manchester Stadium.

[71] His lack of playing time led to reports that he was expecting to leave the club, a claim denied by both Richards and Manager Hughes.

[82] Two months later on 30 January 2011, he set up a goal for Edin Džeko, resulting a 1–1 draw in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which saw them earn a replay at the City of Manchester Stadium.

[87] Following the match, ITV, who aired the FA Cup final, apologised after both Richards and Mario Balotelli swore live during post-match interviews on the pitch.

[90] Richards made his UEFA Champions League debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against Bayern Munich, in what turned out to be his only appearance in the competition.

[99] Towards the end of the 2011–12 season, Richards' playing time was reduced and found himself placed on the substitute bench, due to the hamstring injury he sustained.

[114] It was not until on 24 September 2013 when Richards made his first appearance of the season, starting as captain, and set up the club's second goal of the game, in a 5–0 win over Wigan Athletic in the third round of the League Cup.

[115] A month later on 19 October 2013, he made his first Premier League appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 win over West Ham United.

[118] However, during a 3–2 win over Bayern Munich on 10 December 2013 in a UEFA Champions League Group Stage match, Richards suffered a hamstring injury and was sidelined for a month.

[119] He did not make his return from injury until on 15 January 2014, starting a match, in a 5–0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the third round replay of the FA Cup.

[127] Amid the transfer speculation, Richards made his only appearance of the season for Manchester City, coming on as a late substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield.

[129] By the time he departed the club, Richards was described by local newspaper Manchester Evening News as "a true survivor" since the takeover in 2008.

[132] Seventeen days after signing on 18 September 2014, Richards made his Fiorentina debut in a UEFA Europa League match against Guingamp, coming on as a substitute for former City teammate Stefan Savić, and set up the club's third goal of the game, in a 3–0 win.

[139] Richards was named their on-field captain for the upcoming Premier League season on 5 August,[140] and on his debut three days later, Villa won 1–0 away to AFC Bournemouth.

[156] He made his first start of the 2016–17 Championship season in a 1–1 draw at home to Wolves on 15 October 2016, which was also Steve Bruce's first match in charge of the club, but was sidelined with a knee injury until the new year.

He was called up for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship held in Sweden, where he scored the winning goal against Finland as England went through the group stages undefeated.

[175] In November 2006, Richards received a call-up to the England squad for a friendly against the Netherlands after playing only 28 professional club matches.

[176] He had previously won three caps for the England under-21 team, and was chosen to start the match on 15 November 2006 against the Netherlands after regular right-back Gary Neville withdrew through injury.

"[186] On 28 June 2012, Richards was confirmed as one of the three over-aged players selected by manager Stuart Pearce for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, alongside Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs.

[191] He also became a part of CBS Sports's UEFA Champions League coverage,[192] notably featuring with Kate Scott, Jamie Carragher, and Thierry Henry in a show that achieved widespread critical acclaim.

[4] In November 2006, Richards was involved in a legal battle with Team Associates, who sued him for £1 million over a breach of contract after changing his agent the previous June.