Prince Richard of Hanover

Richard Turlington
Personal information
Full name	Richard Thomas Charles Alexander
Date of birth	August 5, 1999 (age 24)
Place of birth	London, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, forward
Club information
Current team	Arsenal
Number	10
Youth career
2011 - 2019	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team
2019 -	Arsenal
International career
2016 - 2018	England U18
2018 - 2020	England U20
2020 -	England
Honours
Men's football
Representing England
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championship
UEFA Nations League
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
FIFA U-20 World Cup
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Prince Richard of Hanover (Richard Thomas Charles Alexander; born 5 August 1999), known alternatively 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 an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal, which he captains, and the England national team. Known for his versatility, playmaking abilities, and clinical finishing, Richard is considered to be one of the most talented attacking midfielders in the world, and at Arsenal, is often considered to be the successor to former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil and is popularly nicknamed "The Red Gunman". A dynamic and technical player, Richard has occasionally played as a striker for Arsenal, owing to his goalscoring prowess and his strength in link-up play, as well as a winger on some occasions given his excellent crossing abilities. He is the half-brother of former LA Galaxy, Manchester United, and Atlético Madrid forward William Smith.

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 almost two decades while also helping them to a UEFA Champions League final where they dramatically lost 11-12 on penalties to Tottenham Hotspur. 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 Smith.

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 2020 which England won 3-0 against Spain. Following this, Richard went on to represent England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup which they won via a 5-1 victory over Germany in the finals with Richard himself receiving 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.

While only nominated once for the Ballon d'Or, Richard has so far won the Kopa Trophy and the Gerd Müller Trophy awards once.

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, the royal was said to have been named after the famous English monarch King Richard I, better known as "Richard the Lionheart", while his surnames were taken from his father, grandfather, and the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great.

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 & ESL Controversy

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.

Around April to May 2021, amidst controversy over Arsenal and several other major Premier League clubs' participation in the proposed European Super League, which was met with unanimous criticism and condemnation by many, Richard was among several Premier League players who vocally opposed the clubs' participation in the project, with the royal then stating on Instagram that he will "play for Arsenal until the very end and without question, but not in a joke and disgrace of a tournament such as the ESL". In relation to this, Richard also publicly blasted club chairman, Stan Kroenke, who he claimed, "had absolutely lost my trust as club chairman", but at the same time asserted that it would not affect his future prospects with Arsenal, stating, "Regardless of questionable owners, it is the club and the badge that players fight for, not some businessmen from across the pond that haven't even played a single sport in their entire lives". Although Kroenke himself offered no reply in return, observers quickly saw the remarks as being that of a brief one-sided feud between the two figures that quickly dissipated, with Arsenal legend Ian Wright praising the prince for his "mature" and "civil" handling of the issue, stating, "Simply put, he made his objections and feelings clear and within moments he was then back to doing what he loves most, that is playing for none other than his beloved club".

Premier 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 twenty years since the 2003-04 season under "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 at the hands of Nottingham Forest, 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. Similarly, despite having helped Arsenal to their first UEFA Champions League final in years which included a 5-3 win on aggregate over AC Milan in the round of 16, a narrow 4-3 win over Serie A champions Napoli in the quarter-finals, and a memorable 8-4 win over Inter Milan in the semi-finals, the club was otherwise defeated once again by Tottenham Hotspur on penalties following a 2-2 draw in which Richard himself scored both goals while their opponents replied twice via Harry Kane, thereby resulting in a lengthy penalty shootout which Tottenham Hotspur eventually won 12-11 to secure their third UEFA Champions League title under the adept management of William Smith, Richard's own half-brother. In spite of this, Richard was later nominated for the first time for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award which was ultimately won by England captain Harry Kane although he did otherwise win the Gerd Müller Trophy.

Sometime after leading Arsenal to their first Premier League in almost two decades, amidst reported interest from Saudi football clubs as well as the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, it was announced that Richard had signed a new five-year contract with the club, thereby immediately dispelling any rumours of a potential move to another big European club. Afterwards, during a press conference announcing his new contract with Arsenal, Richard said, "Undoubtedly, a lot of clubs wanted me after my performance for both club and country recently but ultimately, as much as they like to have me as their player, I'm unquestionably declaring at this moment that I'm an Arsenal man once and for all". Moreover, he was also appointed as the club's new captain, replacing Granit Xhaka who left for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

In the 2023-24 season, despite an initial 2-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the William Smith 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 despite the fixture taking place just a day after Richard flew back to England from Australia after head coach Mikel Arteta allowed him to personally attend the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Final between England and Spain the day before. On September 24th, he scored a decisive tiebreaker in a dramatic 3-2 win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur in what was his first encounter against The Lilywhites since his brother William Smith 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.

On October 28th, in making his 130th league appearance for the club, Richard scored a brace to complement a hat-trick from Eddie Nketiah and goals from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Fábio Vieira to mark 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, a result that ensured Arsenal's position on the top which he followed up on with a hat-trick in a 7-3 win over newly-promoted Luton Town just a few days afterward. 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 ensure that both teams walk away with one point each, resulting in Liverpool drawing on points with Aston Villa whereas Arsenal retains their pole position with a three-point difference. On December 31st, in avenging a previous 0-2 loss to West Ham United, 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, thereby once again restoring the three-point difference, before promptly following up on it with another hat-trick to dismantle Crystal Palace 8-0.

However, an own-goal from Jakub Kiwior, coupled with a goal from Luis Díaz, resulted in Arsenal's elimination from the FA Cup early on at the hands of Liverpool which, combined with also already being out of the EFL Cup, left the club with only the UEFA Champions League tournament at hand while also attempting to defend their league title.

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 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 ultimately 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 then 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 would only soon continue 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 for the youth squad, that being 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 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 levelled 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 so as 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.

While not blessed with incredible pace, Richard otherwise makes up for it well with his excellent positioning and timely movements that allow him to seamlessly orchestrate attacks and set up goalscoring chances against the opposition. 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 and easy-going nature, with fellow academy graduate Bukayo Saka, his usual 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's clearly used to scoring goals, he's never shy to let someone else take the chance instead if it meant a better chance of a goal".

Considered to be a "fan favourite" among Arsenal fans and supporters, Richard was initially known as "Richie Rich" among supporters due to his background as a member of the royal family but following an impressive performance for the club which included a historic sextuple, he has since come to be popularly known by supporters as "The Red Gunman", a moniker that Richard himself came to personally adopt for himself. In addition, the prince is also known by his personal catchphrase of "anytime, anywhere", a phrase which he first uttered during a post-match interview shortly after Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League champions during which Richard remarked, "This is not and never the end but otherwise a new and fresh start to a long golden period for which I say to a particular club named Manchester City, which some people say would somehow dominate the league with their oil money, if they're up for a good old football match then we'll be ready anywhere and anytime for it". 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 second behind Henry.

Known for his "cool" and "suave" image, Richard is said to have preferred celebrating his goals by simply raising one fist into the air although, at times, in embracing his popular nickname of "The Red Gunman", Richard would instead point his fingers into the air before then pointing them towards the opposition supporters by imitating the act of firing bullets from a pair of imaginary pistols. On the other hand, as a personal critic of what he deemed to be "state-owned" football clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, Richard, after having scored a crucial goal, would taunt opposition supporters by pretending to drink an imaginary water before proceeding to spit it out in disgust which he famously did so after scoring a hat-trick in a 4-4 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium that sparked some controversy. In this, following Arsenal's historic Premier League victory that ended an almost twenty-year-long wait, Richard himself personally sponsored a line of red-coloured cowboy hats adorned by his own signature that was reportedly sold out within minutes of its release.

As an accomplished academy graduate of Arsenal, Richard is often compared to fellow academy graduate Bukayo Saka with The Guardian once describing the pair as "the new Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry", both of whom are considered to be club legends at Arsenal. Regarding this, Richard himself said, "Undoubtedly, to even be compared to two legends of the game and especially the club itself is just heartwarming in itself. Regardless, for as long as we're both at the club, me and Saka will definitely be looking to win lots of games, and multiple trophies, and ultimately leave our marks as academy graduates when we retire later". Besides this, Richard is also personally close with Bayern Munich forward and England captain Harry Kane with whom he formed an effective striking partnership that was most evident in the 2022 FIFA World Cup when both men scored twice each in a 5-1 win over Germany in the finals. In addition, Richard has also heaped much praise on Kane's "gentlemanly character", stating, "Footballing skills aside, what makes the best captain in a team is someone who can be an inspiration not just on the but also off the pitch as well by generally being an outstanding citizen who rarely gets into trouble with the law and who by all accounts is morally sound".

Personal Life

As the oldest younger sibling of the reigning Queen Alexandra, Richard is currently first in line to the British, Dutch, and Luxembourgish thrones although he has yet to receive the respective princely titles as heir apparent with his current position being an heir presumptive.

A fan of automobiles in his family's tradition, Richard is reported as having personally owned a white Mercedes-Benz E-Class which he has often been seen driving for leisurely purposes.

Since November 2022, 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 defender. Among fans, the two are popularly nicknamed "Mr. and Mrs. Arsenal" in a play on the title of the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Much like his half-brother, Richard has vocally spoken out on the issue of players' welfare in relation to the planned expansion for several major tournaments including the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup. In July 2023, shortly after signing a new six-year contract that would see him remain with Arsenal until at least 2029, Richard remarked, "To immediately make things clear, I love the club with the greatest of passion a human could ever have. At the same time, I'm a human after all, and along with the club there's also my own physical and mental health to care about which is something that is not becoming any easier to do with all these expansions they have in mind". In the meantime, much like his older sister, Richard himself personally opted not to receive any salary from his club except for performance-based financial bonuses, stating, "Clearly, I can do well on my own already with the money my family has and at the same time, I'm not at Arsenal for simply the money but the history and glory that comes with it".

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