Prince Richard of Hanover
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Richard Thomas Charles Alexander | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 5, 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Arsenal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 - 2019 | Arsenal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 - | Arsenal | 155 | (142) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 - 2018 | England U18 | 16 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 - 2020 | England U20 | 24 | (18) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 - | England | 46 | (42) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prince Richard of Hanover (Richard Thomas Charles Alexander; born 5 August 1999), known professionally as Richard Turlington and mononymously as Richard, is an English professional footballer and a member of the British royal family. The only son of King Thomas and the American supermodel Christy Turlington, Richard currently plays as a forward for Premier League club Arsenal, which he captains, and the England national team. Known for his versatility, positioning, and clinical finishing, Richard is considered to be one of the world's most talented playmakers and one of football's most complete and all-rounder players with an ability to play in various offensive roles, be it as a striker, attacking midfielder, winger, or a wide midfielder.
A product of the Arsenal youth academy, in 2019, Richard was promoted to the senior team where in his debut season he won the FA Cup with Arsenal via a 4-1 win over Chelsea. Then, in the 2020-21 season, he helped Arsenal win their first continental title in a 5-4 win on penalties against Manchester United in the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final. In the 2022-23 season, Richard spearheaded Arsenal's historic title campaign to eventually win their first league title in decades and also their first UEFA Champions League title via a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Liverpool. In that same season, he also marked a new record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season with 45 goals, surpassing the previous record of 41 goals by William Carter. In the following season, Richard captained Arsenal to their second consecutive league and European titles on the twentieth anniversary of "The Invincibles" during which he also became the club's leading all-time goalscorer.
On the international level, Richard has come to represent England from the youth level where he saw some success on the international stage, winning the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup while otherwise finishing as runner-up in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In 2020, Richard was promoted to the England senior team with his first major tournament being the UEFA Euro 2020in a 3-0 win over Spain. Following this, Richard represented England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he scored twice in a 5-1 win over Germany in the finals and received the FIFA Golden Boot award as the tournament's top goalscorer with twelve goals. In 2021, he also won the UEFA Nations League in its second season with England, defeating Spain 2-0 in the finals.
Early Life
Born on 5 August 1999, Richard was born as the only son and second overall child of King Thomas and the American supermodel Christy Turlington. Named Richard Thomas Charles Alexander, Richard took his given name from the famous English monarch King Richard I, better known as "Richard the Lionheart", while his middle names were taken from his father, grandfather, and the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great. In this, it has also been rumoured that Richard's half-brother William Carter was named after the Norman leader William the Conqueror, thereby suggesting a particular fixation on their father's part with historic conquerors with both of his only two sons being supposedly named after them.
Having been born into a somewhat athletic and sports-centric family, Richard quickly took up a personal interest in sports, with his first choice being none other than football. Through the arrival and subsequent influence from his half-brother, Richard came to gradually develop a passionate love for football, initially envisioning himself as a striker until he later chose to become a midfielder instead, owing to his inherent creativity and a knack for finding solutions to rather difficult problems, making him somewhat of a natural candidate for the position.
Club Career
Arsenal F.C.
Early Years & FA Cup Win
While initially poised for a career at Manchester United similar to that of his half-brother, who particularly enjoyed a very successful career at the Premier League club, at the age of twelve, Richard was ultimately enrolled at the Arsenal academy, a move said to be driven by the transfer of Richard's older sister Alexandra from Manchester United to Arsenal herself. For the next few years or so, after initially starting as a traditional striker, Richard, owing to his goalscoring prowess, coupled with his particular sense of creativity, came to gradually adopt the more deep-lying role of an attacking midfielder, a role that he would come to successfully embrace and perfect in his subsequent years as a youth prospect for Arsenal.
Following an almost decade-long stint at the academy, Richard's growing prowess as a footballer soon caught the attention of the newly-hired Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, who was then recently appointed to succeed his somewhat unsuccessful predecessor Unai Emery. Recognising his talent and having somewhat rightfully seen the young prince as the successor to the club's aging attacking midfielder Mesut Özil, Arteta soon had Richard called up for the first time into the senior squad with his first match as a senior player being the opening match for Arsenal's 2019-20 season against Newcastle United on 11 August 2019, which ultimately ended in a narrow 1-0 win for the club, who found their winning goal in the 58th minute via striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Then, following a heavy 1-3 defeat to Liverpool on August 24th, Richard soon made his impact at the club by scoring a brace in a home match against Tottenham Hotspur, thereby allowing them to win the match outright by 4-2. On October 21st, after Arsenal were initially down by 0-1 following a goal from Sheffield United striker Lys Mousset, Richard proceeded to score a defining hat-trick in the 54th minute to seal the victory for his club, which he promptly followed up with a second consecutive hat-trick in the following match against Crystal Palace, who consequently fell 2-5 to their opponents by the 76th minute. Later, on December 9th, Richard capped off a relatively promising first season with a third hat-trick against West Ham United, with the royal ultimately scoring a total of seventeen goals, the second-highest behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with twenty-two goals. Following this, it was soon announced that the royal had signed an official four-year contract with the club during which Richard himself expressed his "utmost joy at being part of a larger and growing Arsenal project", adding, "Before, this was the club of Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, and Thierry Henry, and now I want to make sure that Arsenal will be the club of a new batch of legends like Özil, Saka, Martinelli, and myself".
Not long after scoring his first FA Cup goal in the quarter-finals against Sheffield United, Richard would prove instrumental in delivering a 4-1 victory for Arsenal in the finals against Chelsea, with the royal scoring a brace in the 45th minute to complement the other two goals by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Conversely, despite scoring his first two goals in the EFL Cup in the third round against Nottingham Forest, Richard and his club were ultimately eliminated in the fourth round on penalties by Liverpool after a tight 5-5 match. Meanwhile, in the UEFA Europa League, despite notably scoring a hat-trick and two goals in the two respective fixtures involving Eintrach Frankfurt, Richard was ultimately unable to help his club progress beyond the round of 16 where they were defeated 2-2 on aggregate by Olympiacos who prevailed thanks to the away goals rule to progress to the quarter-finals.
Europa League Success
In the following 2020-21 season, Richard initially started the season with a series of defeats to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Leicester City, and Aston Villa, against who Richard notably came close to establishing a draw by scoring two goals for his side, although Aston Villa ultimately prevailed with three goals from their own side. Nonetheless, on December 13th, Richard would once more prove his worth by scoring a memorable hat-trick in a home match against Burnley whose only goal came through a 73rd-minute own goal by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Just three days later, on December 16th, Richard would come to score two tiebreaking goals against Southampton to deliver the club's fifth win of the season after thirteen matches, which had come about amidst a series of draws and losses to their opponents. On 2 January 2021, Richard also helped to mark a dominant 7-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion, who consequently fell to a hat-trick from the royal as well as goals from Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, and Alexandre Lacazette. Then, in a match against Manchester United on January 30th, Richard helped score two tiebreaking goals to break the 0-0 deadlock with The Red Devils. In the meantime, despite personally scoring a consequential goal in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Southampton, who Arsenal later defeated 3-0 on penalties, the club were ultimately eliminated in the following round by a 0-3 defeat to Leicester City, thereby quashing their hopes of defending their title. Separately, in the UEFA Europa League, with twelve goals scored, Richard proved to be an important player for his squad, scoring a hat-trick in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Slavia Prague and later a brace in the first leg of the semi-finals against Villareal, thereby allowing Arsenal to progress to the finals where they then defeated Manchester United 5-4 on penalties after goalkeeper Bernd Leno successfully saved an attempt by Manchester United midfielder Fred to secure the club's first-ever European title. Owing to this success, Arsenal subsequently contested the UEFA Super Cup with UEFA Champions League winners Tottenham Hotspur where despite a brace from Richard himself along with a goal from Alexandre Lacazette, the two clubs ultimately drew 3-3 against one another, resulting in a penalty shootout which Tottenham Hotspur subsequently won 5-3.
On 13 August 2021, Richard started off Arsenal's 2021-22 season with a lone goal against Brentford, although this itself, coupled with a brace against Manchester City, proved not enough to avert three straight defeats at the beginning of the season. Nonetheless, the club was quick to rebound from their initial losses, with Richard himself scoring a hat-trick to complete a 4-0 victory over Norwich City. Further matches followed and it was not long until Richard scored two consecutive hat-tricks in matches against Aston Villa and Leicester City respectively, further adding onto Arsenal's growing winning streak. Then, on 1 January 2022, Richard also helped contribute to a 4-2 victory over defending champions Manchester City, and on March 16th, helped score two goals to seal a draw with Liverpool who initially found the lead through goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino. In the end, despite a series of defeats afterward, Arsenal was again able to achieve a third-place finish, thereby qualifying them for the UEFA Champions League. In the meantime, Richard himself scored his first two goals in the UEFA Champions League in a group stage match against Zenit, who they consequently defeated 5-0 as a result. Following this, Richard went on to score a notable hat-trick in the second leg of the round of 16 fixtures against Lille, who consequently fell 1-8 on aggregate to Arsenal, therefore allowing them to face eventual champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals where despite a brace in the first leg and later a goal in the second leg from Richard himself, they were ultimately defeated 4-8 on aggregate by the dominant La Liga giants. Meanwhile, a complimentary performance from Richard saw Arsenal progress to the 2022 EFL Cup Final where they later lost 2-5 to Chelsea.
Premier League and Champions League Success
On 5 August 2022, Richard kicked off Arsenal's 2022-23 season with a dominant 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, in which the prince scored a quick 24th-minute hat-trick before a subsequent goal by Gabriel Martinelli and a final Crystal Palace own-goal completed the 5-0 rout. Not long afterward, Richard scored a second consecutive hat-trick to deliver a 7-2 win over Leicester City. Then, despite a 1-3 loss to Manchester United in which Bukayo Saka scored the only goal for the club, Arsenal promptly rebounded with a 6-0 win over Brentford, who fell 0-6 thanks to a hat-trick from Richard himself. In the meantime, Richard also provided a lone tiebreaking goal in a home match against Newcastle United on January 3rd, which saw the club extend an almost eleven-match unbeaten streak that eventually came to an end in a home match on February 15th against Manchester City in which Bukayo Saka provided the lone goal via a 42nd-minute penalty. Then, on 26 April 2023, in a gripping away match against Manchester City, Richard provided a memorable hat-trick to initially give Arsenal a narrow 4-3 lead over their more dominant opponents until a late Erling Haaland goal in the 95th-minute saw Manchester City hastily level with their opponents to avoid a total defeat via a final 4-4 scoreline Later, despite a 0-3 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in the subsequent match, Richard later provided a memorable hat-trick in the next match against Nottingham Forest that saw Arsenal's ambitions of winning their first Premier League title in almost two decades since "The Invincibles" finally sealed as their 3-1 win resulted in them being beyond the reach of second-place Manchester City and third-place Tottenham Hotspur, the previous champions. In the meantime, his hat-trick against Nottingham Forest saw Richard become Arsenal's third-highest goalscorer in the Premier League behind Ian Wright and Thierry Henry while also becoming the new fastest player to score 100 goals in the Premier League with 121 matches played, beating the previous record of 124 matches held by Alan Shearer. Meanwhile, despite an early exit from the EFL Cup, Arsenal instead saw significant progress in the FA Cup during which Richard crucially scored a winning brace against Manchester City in the fourth round to seal a 2-1 win, only to capitalise upon it with another brace against Burnley although the club was ultimately defeated by eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the semi-finals courtesy of a goal from defender Ben Davies. Otherwise, Richard himself proved crucial in helping Arsenal to their first UEFA Champions League final in years during which the club marked a 5-3 win on aggregate over AC Milan in the round of 16, a narrow 4-3 aggregate win over Serie A champions Napoli in the quarter-finals, and a memorable 8-4 win on aggregate over Inter Milan in the semi-finals to eventually face fellow English club Liverpool in the finals where a hat-trick from Richard won Arsenal their first-ever UEFA Champions League title, a feat that they later followed up on with their first UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles by defeating Sevilla and Fluminense 4-2 and 6-0 respectively during which Richard himself scored a hat-trick to defeat The Red Devils while also sharing a hat-trick with his close teammate Bukayo Saka to comfortably dispatch the Brazilian club.
Later on, for his crucial role in leading Arsenal to their first Premier League title in almost two decades and the club's first UEFA Champions League title, amidst reported interest from Saudi football clubs who were then on a streak of acquiring high-profile European footballers, it was announced that Richard, who also subsequently won the Ballon d'Or for his heroics, had signed a new five-year contract with the club and, following the departure of Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen, was also appointed as the club's new captain, thereby solidifying his position at the club with fellow academy star Bukayo Saka largely seen by many as his deputy given that the two enjoy a strong friendship due to the similar trajectory in their careers at the club. Meanwhile, during an ensuing press conference announcing both his contract renewal and appointment as club captain, Richard said, "If it's not clear enough to everybody else, I have chosen to and will remain for the rest of my career at Arsenal, a great and prestigious football club where I'll absolutely stamp my legacy and leave my mark for good before I eventually retire. Until then, one can be safely assured that I'll never wear any other jersey other than those of England or Arsenal". Meanwhile, in addressing transfer rumours surrounding him, Richard confirmed that he was offered a luxurious contract by a Saudi football club which he promptly rejected due to both his "personal values" and desire to continue playing in the Premier League for years to come.
Further League and European Success
In the 2023-24 season, following their initial 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the William Carter Shield, Richard began the season promisingly with a brace in a 4-1 win against Nottingham Forest in the very first match, having also coincidentally scored a hat-trick against the latter in the closing days of the previous season. A second consecutive brace from Richard soon followed in the ensuing match against Crystal Palace which Arsenal consequently won 3-0. On September 24th, he scored a decisive tiebreaker in a dramatic 3-2 win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur in his first encounter against The Lilywhites since his brother William Carter was succeeded by former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, which he then followed up on with a brace in a 6-0 demolition of Bournemouth to put Arsenal on top by the end of September with Manchester City having suffered a shock 1-2 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Then, on October 28th, Richard scored a brace to complement a hat-trick in a dominant 7-0 win over Sheffield United. On December 2nd, Richard scored a 60th-minute goal to complement an earlier 6th-minute goal from Bukayo Saka to mark a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, thereby ensuring Arsenal's position on the top before going on to score a hat-trick in a 7-3 win over newly-promoted Luton Town. On December 23rd, Richard assisted a goal from Gabriel Magalhães to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead over rivals Liverpool who later equalised via a goal from Mohamed Salah to avoid defeat. On December 31st, Richard, having assisted an initial 5th-minute goal by teammate Bukayo Saka, went on to score a hat-trick to deliver a stunning 4-2 win over Fulham before promptly following up on it with another hat-trick to dismantle Crystal Palace 8-0. Meanwhile, on February 4th, Richard assisted all three goals in a 3-1 home win over rivals Liverpool.
Likewise, on February 11th, Richard once more assisted thrice and scored twice to mark an overwhelming 8-0 win over West Ham United whose defeat at the hands of Arsenal marks the club's biggest away win in history. Then, on April 6th, after sitting out the previous game against Luton Town, Richard returned on his 150th league appearance for Arsenal to score a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Around a week later, on April 14th, Richard scored a crucial hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa to maintain the gap between their title rivals, a feat he repeated on April 23rd to then demolish Chelsea 8-0. Eventually, after scoring once to ensure a 4-2 away victory over Tottenham Hotspur, on May 4th, Richard starred in a 3-0 win over Bournemoth, a result that, with 91 points and two games left, saw Arsenal mathematically clinch their second straight league title on precisely the twentieth anniversary of the club's league title won by the famed "Invincibles", a feat that Richard followed up on with a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Manchester United. Otherwise, after helping his club defeat Porto early on, Richard also scored twice on aggregate to help eliminate a declining Bayern Munich from the UEFA Champions League, only to follow it up with another brace to also eliminate Real Madrid in the semi-finals, thereby setting up an all-England final at Wembley Stadium against fellow London club Tottenham Hotspur where Richard subsequently scored twice yet again to mark a 3-1 victory and thus Arsenal's second straight European title. In the midst of this, as the season's end sees his overall tally increase to 238 goals, Richard finally became Arsenal's leading all-time goalscorer, surpassing the previous record of 228 goals by Thierry Henry.
International Career
England U-18 & U-20
Owing to a growing profile at a relatively young age, Richard quickly earned a spot at playing international football when he was soon chosen to represent England under the auspices of its under-18 squad where early on, in a friendly match against Iceland, he scored a remarkable hat-trick to quickly establish himself in the group, which he then followed up with a brace against Wales. Soon enough, Richard would face his first major tournament as an England international in the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In the first match of the tournament, namely a group stage match against France, Richard once again provided a hat-trick to complete a 5-1 demolition of France, which he immediately followed up with two goals against the Netherlands in a 4-1 victory. Then, with qualification for the knockout stages all but secured, Richard provided one vital assist for England to win 2-1 over Croatia, thereby qualifying them for the knockout stages, which consists of a semi-finals stage and a final for the four qualified nations. In the ensuing semi-finals match against Italy, Richard provided an early 8th-minute goal to give England a 1-0 lead over their opponents before a brace from Federico Dimarco saw Italy regain the lead with two goals to one until an 87th-minute own-goal by Alberto Picchi resulted in the match going to penalties which England subsequently won 5-3 to advance to the finals where once again Richard provided another goal to draw with their French opponents 3-3, again resulting in a penalty shootout that England otherwise narrowly lost 4-5. Nonetheless, with seven goals scored, Richard himself became the tournament's top scorer despite his national team's defeat and was subsequently the subject of considerable praise from many for his overall performance at the tournament.
The following year, Richard would come to participate in his first-ever World Cup tournament, namely the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the first match, namely a group stage match against Argentina, Richard first provided a single goal to add to a 4-0 demolition of Argentina before then providing two tiebreaking goals against their African opponents, Guinea, who fell 1-3 as a result. Similarly, in the final group stage match against South Korea, Richard once again provided a vital 22nd-minute goal that saw England narrowly triumph over the South Koreans to win all three of their group stage matches, thereby qualifying them for the knockout stages where their first opponent was Costa Rica in the round of 16, who England narrowly defeated 2-1. Then, in the ensuing quarter-finals fixture against Mexico, Richard provided a decisive and quick 25th-minute hat-trick that saw England ultimately defeat their opponents with a staggering 4-0 result to subsequently face Italy in the semi-finals and later Venezuela in the finals where they narrowly defeated their opponents 1-0 to win the tournament. Once again, Richard finished as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals to his name and his profile only continued to grow further. In that same year, Richard also earned a promotion to the under-20 squad, with his first major tournament with his newfound squad being the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, his second consecutive European tournament in a year. Beginning with a group stage match against Bulgaria, Richard quickly established himself among his new peers by scoring twice in the match, thereby delivering a final 4-0 victory before soon following it up with a 69th-minute hat-trick that saw England best their Dutch opponents 4-0 to immediately guarantee qualification for the knockout stages although this itself did not stop England from later achieving a dominant 4-1 win over Germany in the third and final group stage match. Following this, Richard then contributed another hat-trick to secure a comfortable 4-1 win for England over the Czech Republic in the semi-finals, which they followed up with a narrow 2-1 win over Portugal, with Richard once again finishing as the undisputed top goalscorer with eight goals in total. The following year, Richard would also participate in the 2018 edition, which England began with a 4-2 win over Turkey, in which Richard himself scored an additional goal. Then, Richard went on to provide a decisive tiebreaking goal against Ukraine in a 2-1 win although this was otherwise followed by a heavy 0-5 defeat to France which Richard later called "the worst day ever of my football life". Nonetheless, qualification for the knockout stages was secured, with England soon marking a dominant 4-1 victory over Portugal to reach the finals for three editions in a row where they ultimately lost 0-1 to Italy. Meanwhile, in a break from tradition, Richard himself did not finish as the tournament's top goalscorer, with Portuguese-born Jota and Francisco Trincão instead sharing the honour with five goals each.
Following this, Richard would participate in his final tournament with the youth squad, namely the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Grouped alongside the likes of Qatar, the United States, and Nigeria, England began the tournament with a dominant 3-1 win over the United States and a 2-1 win over Qatar where on both occasions, Richard only provided a couple of assists each time despite the lack of goals although he later did provide the lone England goal in the third and final group stage match against Nigeria, which they lost 1-3. Nonetheless, following a narrow 1-0 win over Panama in the round of 16, Richard would prove vital once again by scoring twice each time in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, where England respectively defeated Colombia 4-1 and Italy 5-2 to advance to the finals where they ultimately lost 1-3 to South Korea. Similarly, with only five goals scored, Richard was unable to finish as the top scorer as he previously did, with Norwegian star Erling Haaland instead capping off the tournament with nine goals to his name, all of which were scored in a heavy 12-0 demolition of Honduras in the group stages.
England national team
Upon reaching adulthood, despite initial rumours of him following in his half-brother's footsteps by representing the United States, Richard ultimately decided in favour of representing England, stating, "I'm an English prince and therefore I'll play like an English prince". To that end, the UEFA Euro 2020 would mark Richard's first major senior tournament as an England international. Beginning strongly in the group stage with a brace in a 3-0 win over Croatia, Richard then provided another brace in a 3-0 win over Scotland before later contributing a hat-trick in a dominant 4-0 win over the Czech Republic. Following this, Richard would score another brace in a 4-1 win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals with England later marking a 3-0 victory over Spain in the finals in which captain Harry Kane scored once before a second goal came about from Jordan Henderson and later a third one caused by an own-goal from Spanish midfielder Dani Parejo. Meanwhile, in 2021, Richard also helped England reach their second consecutive UEFA Nations League finals where a decisive 2-1 win over France in the semi-finals was followed by a 2-0 win over Spain to confirm England's first UEFA Nations League title in which defender Harry Maguire and captain Harry Kane scored once each to deliver their national team's victory. Meanwhile, with a total of six goals scored, Richard himself finished as the joint top scorer alongside Romelu Lukaku, Erling Haaland, and Ferran Torres.
In the following year of 2022, despite a somewhat controversy-ridden tournament, Richard, along with other major England players, flew to Qatar to represent the country in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Soon enough, England immediately began the tournament strong with a 9-2 win over Iran with Richard personally scoring his first World Cup hat-trick. Then, following a dominant 3-0 win over the Czech Republic, in a highly-anticipated match between England and the United States, Richard went on to score a brace to mark England's 2-0 victory over the United States which he then followed up on by scoring a crucial brace in the quarter-finals to achieve a narrow 3-2 victory over defending champions France in which captain Harry Kane missed a second penalty that could have otherwise made it 4-2. Then, Richard also scored a memorable hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Morocco (who had previously knocked out a Ronaldo-led Portugal) in the semi-finals before later capping the tournament off with a brace in a 5-1 win over Germany in the finals in what was considered by many to be a rematch of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final between England and West Germany in which they won 4-2. With twelve goals scored across the entirety of the tournament, Richard himself finished as the tournament's top scorer, thereby rewarding him with the FIFA Golden Boot award whilst captain Harry Kane was awarded the FIFA Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player and Jude Bellingham won the FIFA Best Young Player Award.
On 1 June 2022, in line with the relaunching of the then-discontinued CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, which was last held in 1993, England, winners of UEFA Euro 2020, faced the 2021 Copa América winners Argentina. The match, held at Wembley Stadium, London, saw England defeat Argentina 3-1 with the latter initially gaining the lead at the 10th minute via a goal from Lionel Messi before a 74th-minute goal from Harry Kane leveled the score with both Phil Foden and Richard proceeding to score a goal each in the 78th and 82nd minutes respectively to seal the match in England's favour. Consequently, defending champions Argentina, who defeated Denmark 5-4 on penalties in the previous edition, failed to defend their title which went to the UEFA representative for the second time in its third edition after France defeated Uruguay 2-0 in the inaugural edition.
In the meantime, despite a somewhat complimentary performance for England in the 2022-23 season of the UEFA Nations League, which notably saw him score a memorable brace early on to a seal a 2-1 comeback win against Hungary, a tiebreaking hat-trick against Germany in a final 4-1 win, and a separate tiebreaking goal against Germany in the second fixture which they won 4-3, England ultimately failed to reach the finals of the tournament for a third consecutive time with Italy, albeit by just one point above England, instead qualifying for the knockout stages where they later lost 1-2 to Spain in the semi-finals and also 1-2 to Croatia in the third-place playoffs, with hosts, Netherlands emerging as the ultimate victor against Spain in a 2-0 win in the finals. Following this, in an announcement made on his social media account around October 2023, Richard revealed that the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which is set to span across three continents and to notably mark the tournament's 100th anniversary, would be his last for England while the UEFA Euro 2028, which will be jointly hosted by the United Kingdom's five constituent countries and the Republic of Ireland, would otherwise be his last European tournament for the national team, stating, "By the looks of it, when England later inevitably advances to the finals at Wembley Stadium, that will be where I will put my European journey for the country to rest at none other than the iconic home of football itself". Despite not providing an exact reason behind the sudden announcement, most pundits believed that it was in response to the planned expansion of several major football tournaments that would see the royal play more matches on average thereby leading Richard to already plan his departure from professional football at moments he considered best to do so.
Style of Play
Considered by many to be the successor to former Arsenal attacking midfielder Mesut Özil as well as one of the most talented and versatile playmakers in football, Richard, in his primary role as an attacking midfielder for his club, has often been noted for his commendable work-rate, as well as his vision and creativity as a player which allows him to quickly and efficiently organise attacks against the opposition team be it through the central area or through the wings. Moreover, despite the primarily attacking nature of his role, Richard has also been noted for his defensive work, often executing well-timed tackles or otherwise pressing opponents up high on the pitch in order to win the ball back immediately after it was lost. In addition to his attacking prowess, Richard has also received much praise for his consistently high work rate as a player, with head coach Mikel Arteta once describing the royal as a "tireless stallion always on the move outpacing and outrunning everyone else on the pitch". Owing to this, the former has come to acquire a reputation as a dependable, hardworking, and relentless midfielder proficient in both attacking and defensive situations. Meanwhile, with the majority of his goals scored originating from outside of the penalty box, Richard is also particularly known for his precise goalscoring precision that combined with excellent positioning made him a very lethal and effective goalscorer whose preference for playing deep and scoring from a distance often made him a difficult opponent to deal with for opposition defenders.
Unlike the majority of forwards in football, most of whom are usually played by managers in one particular position, in a testament to his versatility and wide set of skills, under head coach Mikel Arteta, Richard has been played at almost every position on the pitch except for the center-back and full-back positions, be it as a traditional striker, a winger, an attacking midfielder, a central midfielder, or a wide midfielder. In this, Arteta himself said that he likes moving the Arsenal star to a new position after every few matches with the main purpose of making the latter an "unpredictable threat", stating, "When most people rightfully see him as one of the club's most important and skilled players, he is therefore going to be a natural and immediate target for the opposition to silence and ensure that he cannot do his job well for the team. Because of this, even if he's a very good player indeed, having him play in one position for an entire season or so tends to make him rather predictable and easier to counter for our opponents, and therefore, by having him play against different opponents and in different positions each time, it will be very difficult for them to predict or prepare against him before a match, thus ensuring that Richard could always scare and terrorise his opponents with his utmost versatility and technicality that most people came to know him for". Consequently, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, regarded as one of the world's best center-backs, has described Richard as "one of the most difficult players I have ever faced", stating, "I have faced and seen many great strikers that come my way but Richard comes in his own unique way that can be both confusing and mesmerising at the same time".
Despite somewhat lacking in pace, Richard otherwise adequately makes up for it with his excellent positioning and timely movements that allow him to seamlessly orchestrate attacks and set up goalscoring chances against the opposition even while finding himself in tight spaces. His tactical intelligence, off-the-ball movement, and vision have been the subject of much praise by many with ex-teammate Alexandre Lacazette once stating, "Wherever and whenever he walks, even if it's just an inch to the left or right, it's always a danger for the opposition because he is always on the move and at any moment could be the one about to score a goal out of nowhere". Moreover, Richard has also earned much praise for his teamwork, helpfulness, and easy-going nature, with fellow academy graduate Bukayo Saka, his usual attacking partner on the pitch, having heaped much praise on his fellow teammate, stating, "Naturally, we just work so well with each other, especially during big games, and for someone who is clearly used to scoring a lot of goals, he is never shy to let someone else take the chance instead if it meant a better chance of a goal. In that case, you can always rely on him to be at the right place and at the right time to make a goal happen no matter how difficult it may be". In this, Richard's particular playing style has seen him compared to the likes of Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane, Karim Benzema, Johan Cruyff, and William Carter.
Considered to be a "fan favourite" among Arsenal fans and supporters, in his early years, Richard was commonly known by the nickname "Richie Rich", a moniker borrowed from the title of the 1994 comedy film, and "Prince Özil", an epithet that was initially applied to him given Richard's similar playing style and self-professed admiration of the German attacking midfielder Mesut Özil whose departure from Arsenal in 2021 saw Richard swiftly usurp the latter's role as the club's essential playmaker. Since then, Richard has come to be known by the more popular nickname "The Red Gunman", a reference to his propensity for scoring goals from a distance with much accuracy and his trademark goal celebration in which he usually imitates a cowboy firing a pair of revolvers, hence his current nickname which he went on to trademark and commercialise with popular depictions of him wearing an Arsenal jersey and a red cowboy hat. Meanwhile, owing to his stature as arguably the most successful and prolific Arsenal academy graduate, Richard has been the subject of many comparisons to club legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright, and Robin van Persie, with Richard himself notably being just one of two academy graduates alongside John Radford to be included in the top ten list of the club's all-time goalscorers in which he currently places just second behind Henry.
Following his maiden Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FIFA World Cup successes, Richard officially became just one of nine footballers in history to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or, a distinction that he shares with the likes of Johan Cruyff, Gerd Müller, Franz Beckenbauer, Paolo Rossi, Zinedine Zidane, as well as fellow England players Bobby Charlton, Harry Kane, and William Carter, his own half-brother.
Personal Life
As the oldest younger sibling of the reigning Queen Alexandra, Richard is currently first in line to the British throne. Officially, Richard was named after the famous English ruler King Richard I, better known as "Richard the Lionheart". Coincidentally, while not a direct descendant of his namesake, as a British royal, Richard is otherwise distantly related to his namesake as the descendant of King John, the younger brother of King Richard.
Since July 2019, Richard has been in a relationship with fellow Arsenal player and England Women captain Leah Williamson. However, despite sharing a common football club along with being academy graduates, the two play drastically different roles for the men's and women's sides respectively with Richard primarily being an attacking midfielder and Williamson a central defender. Among fans, the two are popularly nicknamed "Mr. and Mrs. Arsenal". Prior to his relationship with Williamson, Richard briefly dated the American model Kaia Gerber, daughter of the American supermodel Cindy Crawford, a close friend of his mother.
A polyglot, in addition to his native English, Richard could also speak both German and Spanish, the latter especially through the influence of his maternal grandmother, thereby allowing him to communicate rather easily with his club teammates of different nationalities, namely the German-born Kai Havertz, and his Spaniard coach Mikel Arteta. Moreover, owing to its relative similarity to the Portuguese language, Richard is also able to communicate relatively well with the likes of his Brazilian-born teammates, namely Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhães, with Jesus himself once candidly revealing his surprise at Richard's fluency in Spanish, stating, "It was very surprising at first but after a while our conversations just feel very natural, even in Portuguese or Spanish, a language that I can easily understand. Because of this, we like to joke around by speaking in either language so that only a few people could ever understand us".
In line with his athletic lifestyle as a professional footballer, Richard revealed in a July 2023 interview with BBC Sport that his favourite physical activities include morning and evening jogs, boxing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Despite this, in that same interview, Richard added that, during downtime occasions, he likes to play video games, particularly with his brother-in-law and actor Henry Cavill, an avid gamer himself. In this, Richard's favourite video games include FIFA, Call of Duty, Tetris, and Minecraft.
Initially, much like his siblings, Richard chose the last two numbers of his birth year, namely 1999, for his club number. However, upon being promoted to club captain for Arsenal at the start of the 2023-24 season, Richard opted for the more familiar number 10, a reference to his role as his team's essential playmaker. Beforehand, the number has been worn by at least two iconic Arsenal players, namely Dennis Bergkamp and Robin van Persie. In addition, Mesut Özil, Richard's inspiration at the club, had also worn the number before.
Titles & Honours
- 5 August 1999 - Present His Royal Highness The Prince Richard
Honours
National & Commonwealth
United Kingdom - Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter- United Kingdom - Recipient of the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Charles III
- United Kingdom - Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
- United Kingdom - Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
- United Kingdom - Member of the Order of St. George
Foreign
Professional Football
Arsenal
- Premier League: 2022-23, 2023-24
- FA Cup: 2019-20
- William Carter Shield: 2020, 2023
- UEFA Champions League: 2022-23, 2023-24
- UEFA Super Cup: 2023
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2023
- UEFA Europa League: 2020-21
England U18
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2017
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2017
England
- FIFA World Cup: 2022
- UEFA European Championship: 2020
- UEFA Nations League: 2021
- CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022
Ancestry
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