Micah Richards Rejoins Manchester City After Retiring From Football

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has rejoined the blues after calling time on his playing career.

Richards was released by Aston Villa earlier in the summer after failing to recover from a long-standing knee injury that last saw him play in 2016. Richards played 245 games for the blues since making his debut in October 2005, and won the FA Cup with City in 2011 and the Premier League title in 2012. The defender found himself out of favour in Manuel Pellegrini’s City side, and joined Fiorentina on a season long loan for the 2014-15 season. He then joined Villa on a free transfer in 2015.

The defender made a name for himself when he scored his first goal for City, ironically at Villa Park when his headed equaliser in the last minute earned City a replay. He also earned 13 England caps between 2006 and 2012, scoring one goal against Israel in 2007.

Richards now returns to City to combine punditry work with a promotional role at the club, and the former defender said he’s delighted to be back. “It is great to be asked to come back and be involved at City, because they hold a special place in my heart. Everyone there took me under their wing right from when I joined.

“I burst on to the scene and did really well when I first broke into the first team, but a couple of seasons after that I was not really hitting the heights,” he said. “The fans always stuck with me though. I always appreciate the faith that they had in not giving up on me, and I think they could see that I always gave 100% when I was on the field.”

And a City spokesman expressed the club’s feelings to Richards returning. “Everyone at the club still thinks very fondly of Micah. The fans love him to bits, and we are looking forward to working with him at events home and abroad in the future.”