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Former Manchester City and Aston Villa footballer Micah Richards is quickly becoming one of the most popular pundits in the game.
A regular fixture on the Match of the Day panel and in the Sky Sports studio, Richards has combined his enthusiastic personality and his in-depth knowledge of football to become one of the most respected experts around.
Richards will be back on our screens this weekend with the FA Cup third round dominating TV schedules. The 36-year-old is due to join Gary Lineker and Theo Walcott for the BBC’s coverage of Arsenal v Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
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On the field, Richards’ career spanned spells at City, Fiorentina and Villa, while he also represented England 13 times over six years and Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic games. At City, he won a Premier League and an FA Cup.
Away from the pitch, his life has been just as successful. Here we get to know him a bit better….
BBC wages and net worth
Richards was paid handsomely during his playing days – once turning down £100,000 a week at City to get more game-time at Villa – and since turning to punditry, he’s still getting very good financial rewards.
In the BBC’s 2022 top salaries list, it was revealed that Richards was being paid between £200,000-£204,999 for his services.
In addition to his BBC wages, Sky Sports also employ him, while he is involved with Lineker and Alan Shearer on their Rest is Football podcast. American broadcaster CBS also use him frequently on their Champions League coverage.
FootballFanCast report Richards’ net worth to be around £37million.
Very private personal life
Not much is known about the former defender’s private life, save for the fact that he does have a son.
Richards is not married and does not seem to be in a relationship with anyone at present.
There have been unsubstantiated reports that he has dated two celebrities in the past. Back in 2013 there was speculation he was in a relationship with TV actress Helen Flanagan, who was formerly engaged to footballer Scott Sinclair.
Flanagan spoke out to refute the rumours: “I’ve never even met him. I just don’t know how this rumour has started. It’s really upsetting when things are made up like that. It’s not fair on me, and it’s definitely not fair on Dan (Scott, former partner), who might read it.”
There were also rumours linking him to former professional footballer-turned-sports presenter Alex Scott – but again these have never been confirmed.
Extortionate haircuts
For a man on screen so much, it’s no surprise that Richards likes to keep up with appearances. But his weekly haircut bill is enough to make your eyes water.
During a CBS broadcast, Richards told fellow panellist Thierry Henry that he got his hair cut three times a week – at a cost of £200 a pop each time.
“I’ve got to look fly,” he said with a huge grin. “£200 a time, yes. When I say the most, like I’ll get a trim tomorrow for the Champions League, and I’m working the weekend, so I’ll get a trim. I did it today. I’ve got to get a sharpen up tomorrow.”
Three haircuts a week at £200 each works out at £31,200 a year on trims.