Prince Richard of Hanover

Richard Turlington
Personal information
Full name	Richard Thomas Christian Alexander
Date of birth	August 5, 1999 (age 25)
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
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 Christian Alexander; born 5 August 1999), known professionally as Richard Turlington, 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 dynamic 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 two-time Ballon d'Or winner, Richard has also won three Gerd Müller Trophy awards back-to-back, the most of any player along with being one of only two players to have won it alongside the inaugural winner Robert Lewandowski. Considered to be one of the greatest set-piece specialists, with fifty goals scored as of the most recent season in such a manner, Richard is currently the all-time leader for the most free-kicks scored in the Premier League, surpassing the previous record held by Sir David Beckham, and is highly celebrated for his curling free-kicks, for which he is popularly nicknamed "The Curling King" by fans and supporters.

A product of the Arsenal youth academy, in 2019, Richard was promoted to the senior team and went on to win the FA Cup in a 4-1 victory over Chelsea in his debut season. In the following 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. Then, in the 2022-23 season, Richard spearheaded Arsenal's historic title campaign to eventually win their first league title in two 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 Sir William Carter. Following the club's historic triumph, Richard subsequently went on to lead Arsenal to second consecutive Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles on the twentieth anniversary of "The Invincibles", during which he 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 much success on the international stage, winning both 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. Following this, Richard subsequently participated in his first major tournament at the UEFA Euro 2020, going so far as to score a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Italy in the final, becoming one of only three players alongside Sir William Carter and George Best to have scored a hat-trick in a Euros final. In 2021, he also won the UEFA Nations League in its second season with England, defeating Spain 2-0 in the finals, after which he continued to represent the country at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he scored twice to defeat Spain 5-1 in the finals, thereby winning both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball, and, in turn, rack up a record-breaking fourteen goals, breaking the previous record held by Just Fontaine. Then, two years later, Richard scored twice in a 3-2 victory over Spain, thereby defeating them in a third consecutive final and also winning the UEFA Euro 2024, during which he finished with and equalised the record for most goals scored (14) held by Sir William Carter.

Since 2024, Richard has been engaged to American actress Zoey Deutch, daughter of actress Lea Thompson and with whom he has been in a relationship since late 2019. Together, the couple starred in the 2024 Netflix comedy-drama The Year of Spectacular Men, a film directed jointly by their parents that starred the couple as the main romantic leads.

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 Christian 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, the masculine form of his mother's given name, and the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great.

Born in a somewhat athletic and sporting family, from an early age, Richard was thoroughly exposed to sports, from which he came to develop a lifelong passion in the likes of football, tennis, archery, and others. In the end, despite being the nephew of tennis greats Prince Nelson and Steffi Graf, Richard ultimately came to fancy football the most, a sport that his famous half-brother had participated in and become incredibly successful himself, thereby endearing the young prince to follow in the latter's footsteps.

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 handed Richard his debut with the senior squad, namely in Arsenal's 2019-20 opening match against Newcastle United on 11 August 2019 which ended in a 1-0 win. 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", stating, "Ultimately, I see myself winning trophies and eventually retiring with Arsenal rather than with any other club and that is something I'm planning to work very hard to achieve".

Meanwhile, 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 as Arsenal later went on to win the domestic cup. 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 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, whom 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 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 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, whom 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 Real Madrid in the quarter-finals where despite a brace in the first leg from Richard himself, they were narrowly defeated 4-5 on aggregate by the La Liga giants. Meanwhile, a complimentary performance from Richard saw Arsenal progress to the 2022 EFL Cup Final where they later lost 1-2 to Chelsea, a fate that they also suffered in a 2-4 loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

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 the latter hastily level with their opponents via Erling Haaland to avoid a total defeat in an ultimate 4-4 draw. Later, despite a subsequent 0-3 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, 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 where 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 Manchester United 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 Richardm 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 the German side Bayer 04 Leverkusen, was also appointed as the club's new captain, thereby solidifying his position at Arsenal after graduating through the academy at the start of the 2019-20 season. 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 once I eventually retire. Until then, one can be safely assured that I'll never wear any other jersey on myself other than those of England or Arsenal". Meanwhile, amidst rumours of interest in him from Saudi clubs, Richard dismissed them as "rubbish tabloid talk", stating, "By all accounts, I am one of the greatest strikers in the world and am currently in my prime right now so why would I go to some football league that nobody has heard of until now and downgrade myself from playing in the world's most competitive league to playing in some subpar league far away in the Middle East? It is simply not happening".

Double League & European Successes

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 Sir 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 win by the famed "Invincibles" squad. Meanwhile, 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 the club's North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur where Richard subsequently scored twice yet again to mark a 3-1 victory and thus Arsenal's second straight European title. Following this, given the timing of the club's recent successes, namely around the twentieth anniversary of "The Invincibles", it was subsequently announced that Arsenal's home ground, known previously as "The Emirates", would be renamed to "Invincible Highbury", a new name combining "The Invincibles" and the area where the club's old stadium was located. Otherwise, as back-to-back European champions, Arsenal then contested the UEFA Super Cup against UEFA Europa League winners Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the German club which, under their current manager Xabi Alonso, gained fame for their successful unbeaten run the previous season. To that end, Richard scored twice to complement goals from Kai Havertz and William Saliba, thereby resulting in a 4-1 win over the German side.

In the ensuing 2024-25 season, Richard, fresh off a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Manchester United in the William Carter Shield, began the season with an assist on teammate Bukayo Saka's goal in a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day. In the following match, Richard scored twice to help defeat Aston Villa 4-0, followed by a goal in a 2-0 win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur and a subsequent hat-trick in a commanding 5-1 away win over back-to-back runners up Manchester City, during which the royal's celebrations, particularly during his 79th-minute hat-trick, sparked controversy due to its perceived "provocative" and "aggressive" nature, as Richard and his rival, Manchester City's lone goalscorer Erling Haaland, were seen coming close to exchanging physical blows amidst a tense atmosphere between the two sides. Then, a week later, an assist by Richard for a Gabriel Martinelli goal in a 4-2 home victory against Leicester City saw Arsenal remain as the only undefeated side by the sixth game week, a streak that held as Richard scored further hat-tricks in a thumping 5-1 home win over Liverpool and in a 3-1 comeback win against Newcastle United. Meanwhile, in the first season under the UEFA Champions League's new format, Richard soon scored his first two goals in a 2-0 win over Italian side Atalanta, followed by a hat-trick in a commanding 5-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

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 were consequently defeated 1-3. 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 where England narrowly won 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 grew 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 that 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 players Jota and Francisco Trincão instead sharing the honour with five goals each.

Afterward, 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

A sight of Wembley Stadium in London, England before the UEFA Euro 2020 Final. In the ensuing final match, England ultimately defeated runners-up Italy 4-1 to clinch their fourth consecutive European title.

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 Denmark in the semi-finals as England later went on to mark a dominant 4-1 victory over Spain in the finals in which Richard himself scored a hat-trick to compliment an early goal from Luke Shaw, the earliest in a Euros final, while Italy managed only a single response via Leonardo Bonucci. 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 began the tournament strong with a 9-2 win over Iran in which Richard instantly scored his first World Cup hat-trick to notably deliver Iran's biggest defeat in history. Then, following a dominant 6-0 win over Wales where he scored a second consecutive hat-trick, in a highly-anticipated match between England and the United States, Richard went on to score a brace in England's 2-0 victory over the United States, a feat that he followed up on by scoring a crucial pair of goals in the quarter-finals to achieve a narrow 3-2 victory over runners-up France in which captain Harry Kane missed a second penalty that could have otherwise made it 4-2. Following this, Richard went on to score a crucial brace to break the deadlock in a 3-1 win over Germany in the semi-finals, thereby resulting in an encounter with Spain in the finals where another pair of goals from Richard in a dominant 5-1 win that complemented ones from teammates Phil Foden, Jordan Henderson, and John Stones saw England emerge victorious. With fourteen goals scored across the entirety of the tournament, thereby breaking the record of thirteen goals previously held by Just Fontaine, Richard thus finished as the tournament's top scorer, thereby rewarding him with both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball awards as teammate Jude Bellingham instead won the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award.

Then, 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 captain Lionel Messi before a 74th-minute goal from Harry Kane leveled the score, after which both Phil Foden and Richard proceeded 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, in turn, 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.

The Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, which hosted the UEFA Euro 2024 Final between England and Spain. In 2006, it hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final where England defeated Italy 5-2.

On 16 June 2024, Richard participated in England's first match at the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, appearing as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Serbia. Then, during the ensuing match against Denmark, Richard entered again as a substitute for captain Harry Kane, whose 18th-minute goal was countered by a 34th-minute goal from Denmark's Morten Hjulmand, to break the 1-1 deadlock, which he successfully did in the 78th minute as the standout performer amidst considerable criticism towards his otherwise underperforming teammates. Following this, buoyed by his positive performance, Richard started the final group stage match against Slovenia where he went on to score a brace in the 51st minute to mark a 2-0 win, thereby guaranteeing him particular praise from pundits once more although this was later followed by an unconfirmed moment in the England changing rooms afterward where he allegedly berated and cursed out his teammates for their overall underperformance as BBC Sport subsequently reported that Richard was granted a two-day temporary leave from the national team for undisclosed reasons. Nonetheless, Richard subsequently returned to the squad and was included in the starting lineup against Slovakia in the round of 16, a match that notably marked his 50th appearance for England. In this, following an initial 25th-minute goal from Slovakia that looked set to end England's long unbeaten streak, Richard scored a dramatic hat-trick in the 80th minute to seal the victory and, in turn, book a quarter-finals fixture against Switzerland. In this, Richard scored a second consecutive hat-trick to similarly defeat their opponents 4-1, with fellow Arsenal star Bukayo Saka scoring the fourth goal, only to then score a third consecutive hat-trick in a dominant 5-1 win over the Netherlands and, in turn, set up a showdown against Spain in a rematch of their previous meeting at the UEFA Euro 2012 where Richard's half brother Sir William Carter scored a hat-trick in a dominant 4-2 win for England, the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals where England defeated Spain 2-0, and, most recently, the 2022 FIFA World Cup where England destroyed Spain 5-1 in the final. In this, a roughly similar scoreline similar to that from twelve years ago emerged as Richard scored twice to complement a goal from Chelsea's Cole Palmer, with his to win the tournament 3-2, thereby confirming England as European champions once more for the fifth consecutive time and extend their unbeaten record. However, just a couple of days later, incumbent head coach Gareth Southgate announced his resignation as England manager, bringing to an end his eight-year-long time at the helm as he was subsequently replaced by Lee Carsley, currently the head coach of the U21s, in an interim basis before former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was later appointed as the new permanent manager.

Meanwhile, amidst the introduction of a new UEFA Champions League format at the club level, bringing renewed fears of match congestion, just prior to the early season break, Richard, citing his "health" and "safety", announced that he would no longer play for England in the UEFA Nations League, having won it once already, but will continue to do so at the World Cup and the Euros for the foreseeable future. To that end, subsequent reports claimed that Richard and Tuchel, the newly-hired England manager, had reached a "mutual agreement" in private regarding the former's UEFA Nations League opt-out and that the Arsenal captain would only be called upon when necessary but never for the UEFA Nations League again given the royal's previous concerns about match congestion.

Style of Play

A shot of Arsenal star and winger Bukayo Saka during a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Considered to be one of the best wingers in the world, together with his fellow academy graduate, Saka and Richard have generally formed Arsenal's lethal attacking pair responsible for the club's resurgence in recent years.

Considered by many to be the successor to, and, in the eyes of some, an improvement on the former Arsenal attacking midfielder Mesut Özil, Richard is often considered as one of the most talented and versatile modern playmakers in football. To that end, in his role as both a playmaker and a goalscorer for Arsenal, Richard has received praise for his excellent vision, a quality that allows him to swiftly dictate attacks against the opposition, often at a moment's notice. In addition, amidst popular criticism towards his "predecessor" Mesut Özil for the latter's perceived lack of physicality and low defensive work rate, Richard, despite his primarily attacking instincts, is also known for his tendency to execute well-timed tackles high up the pitch, thereby providing his team with a defensive edge while ensuring that the ball is often retrieved immediately after it was lost to the opposition. Moreover. an excellent positioning sense also means that Richard is capable of intercepting passes from the opposition, thus breaking up attacks early on and, in turn, instigating immediate counterattacks. In this, current head coach Mikel Arteta once dubbed the royal a "tireless stallion", stating, "Whether he has the ball or not, he almost never stops moving and instead is always on the move looking for his teammates and spaces where he could exploit to set up an attack. Simply put, he is always working on the pitch for the entire ninety minutes and that is something we value highly, especially when modern football demands that each player do a lot more for their team rather than just simply doing what their roles usually tell them to do".

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, a role that he has come to take somewhat frequently for Arsenal following the arrival of Kai Havertz, the club's new main striker, thereby resulting in Richard typically playing as a wide midfielder on the right behind Bukayo Saka, a change that did not appear to otherwise diminish his goalscoring prowess. In this, Arteta himself admitted to rotating Richard between positions on the pitch each time after a few matches to confuse opposition teams and prevent him from being fully understood by the opposition, thereby maintaining his so-called "unpredictability". In recent years, despite having come to normally play as a wide midfielder on the right in a 4-3-3 formation, when in attack, Richard's goalscoring prowess meant that he often moved up front and swiftly drifted towards the more central areas of the pitch, thereby positioning himself in prime goalscoring opportunities in an ad hoc 4-2-3-1/4-2-2-2 formation, for which he often worked in tandem alongside another striker or one of the two wingers on either flank, particularly Bukayo Saka, with whom he is known to enjoy an effective attacking partnership down the right flank. On some occasions, when deployed as a winger, Richard normally operates like an inside forward, starting from a wider position on the wings before gradually cutting inside and thus becoming a second striker or attacking midfielder afterward.

In addition to his goalscoring prowess and overall positioning, Richard is also known for his specialty in set pieces, particularly in free kicks where his penchant for fast and precise strikes allows the ball to easily bypass defenders while giving little time for goalkeepers to react. In this, Richard himself has cited England footballing legend and noted free-kick specialist Sir David Beckham as his main inspiration behind his "impeccable" free-kicks, stating that following Beckham's retirement from football in 2013, close ties between the latter and his half-brother meant that Richard often asked Beckham during his spare time to teach him "perfect free-kicks", thereby ironically allowing Richard to later surpass Beckham himself as the Premier League's all-time free-kicks goalscorer with fifty goals scored so far, surpassing the latter's longstanding record of eighteen goals. To that end, as Arsenal's and the Premier League's arguably single most capable free-kick taker, Richard once revealed in an interview with BBC Sport that in most situations, except for when he is simply not on the pitch, he was often prioritised by manager Mikel Arteta with taking the first three freekicks awarded to Arsenal with the expectation that he would score one or two of the attempts, after which, under the guise of fairness, he would usually let his teammates attempt the freekicks themselves, stating, "In the end, I'm part of an eleven-man team and in that eleven-man team, every single player, even if of varying capabilities, should be allowed to have a shot at freekicks if the manager says so. Ultimately, as part of a football team, no matter how good you are, you always have to respect the manager's decisions and when it comes to freekicks, as good as I am at it, I don't obviously score all the time and so my teammates should be given a chance to score themselves because if they get lucky and just do it right, they might even score one themselves anyway and I'm happy with that as long as our team is winning because of it". In the meantime, as the Premier League's single best freekick taker, the phrase "Bend It Like Richie", a play on the famous phrase of "Bend It Like Beckham" (which also served as the title for the 2002 sports comedy film), has also begun rising in popularity as most pundits and fans generally liken Richard's freekick abilities to those of Sir David Beckham's.

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, also 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 used to scoring a lot of goals, he is obviously 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 time to make a goal happen no matter how difficult it may be". In this, the duo's powerful on-pitch partnership for Arsenal has drawn comparisons to the famous attacking pair of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry which, aside from also being a pairing between two players of opposite skin colours, was notable for being the backbone behind the club's early 2000s success as "The Invincibles", having collectively racked up a total of 261 league goals. By comparison, the pairing between Richard and Saka currently boasts a combined total of 236 league goals together with Richard, much like Henry, providing the majority of the goals whereas Saka, like Bergkamp, played a mostly secondary but equally crucial role in the attacking partnership as evidenced by Saka usually being the second-highest goalscorer for Arsenal just behind Richard for the last few seasons or so.

Following his maiden Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FIFA World Cup successes, Richard officially became just one of eight 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, as well as fellow England players Sir Bobby Charlton, Harry Kane, and Sir William Carter. As of current, only Richard, Kane, and Carter, all of whom are English, are the only ones still alive, with only Richard and Kane themselves being the only ones still currently active in the sport.

Personal Life

A portrait of King Richard I of England, better known as "Richard the Lionhearted". A member of the House of Angevin, Richard ruled over the Kingdom of England from 1189 to 1199 and was best known for his confrontations with the Muslim ruler Saladin during the Third Crusade.

As the oldest younger sibling of the reigning Queen Alexandra, Richard was formerly first in line to the British throne, a position that he held until the birth of his niece Princess Anne in November 2023, thereby initially relegating him to second place and later to third place as his nephew Prince Christian was born on the same day. Officially, Richard was named after the famous English ruler King Richard I, better known as "Richard the Lionheart", a moniker that he began adopting during the later stages of the UEFA Euro 2024, namely in the final between England and Spain where he imitated the gesture of a kneeling knight shortly after scoring a hat-trick in a decisive 3-2 victory. 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.

A fan of automobiles and motorcycles in his family's tradition, for his own personal use, Richard normally drives a red Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, his primary vehicle in addition to a secondary vehicle, namely a white Mini Coupé. Aside from this, Richard also occasionally spends his time riding a Ducati motorcycle.

A polyglot, in addition to his native English, Richard is also known for his ability to speak both German and Spanish rather fluently, with the latter being particularly handy when communicating with his Spanish-born Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta as well as his Hispanic teammates Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhães who, despite normally speaking Portuguese as most Brazilians do, could otherwise easily understand Richard given the similarities between the two Romance languages. Aside from this, in line with his athletic lifestyle as a professional footballer, Richard once revealed that his favourite physical activities include morning and evening jogs, boxing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. However, 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, and the royal once described himself as "someone who is fairly competitive but could take a loss if necessary".

A vocal figure on the issue of player welfare, Richard was among the many players who filed a lawsuit against FIFA via FIFPRO, the global organisation representing professional footballers, in response to the organisation's plans for a revamped FIFA Club World Cup tournament which is set to feature 32 teams as opposed to only eight teams since the tournament's foundation in 2000. In a statement published on his Instagram account, Richard said, "Regardless of how much each individual player is paid, for the last few years or so, they all are ultimately not spared from having to play the same amount of games which, as of the last few years, have been increasing somewhat drastically in numbers. In the end, footballers are humans, not robots, and thus deserve the right like most people do to fair working conditions including an appropriate and reasonable amount of game time". Later on, when England captain Harry Kane publicly criticised several of his fellow internationals for withdrawing from the squad prior to the two remaining UEFA Nations League fixtures, arguing that "England comes before anything and any club situation", Richard responded by stating, "Of course, England comes first but not before your own health and safety for you are nothing but a dead man walking if you're sick but still playing for your country on the pitch for ninety minutes straight. In the end, the best players are at their fullest potential when they are completely fine and healthy as opposed to being sick and injury-ridden and there is no way around it whatsoever".

Having said to have originally grown up supporting Manchester United, the English football club that his father supported and the one that his half-brother previously played for, when asked in an interview with BBC Sport whether his career could have instead been at Manchester United rather than Arsenal, the London-based club where he is both its captain and all-time goalscorer, Richard admitted that he "could have well" ended up with The Red Devils instead, stating, "The primary reason as to why my father had me enrol at Arsenal rather than Manchester United was because of how he disliked the Glazer family's way of running things at the club, especially the fact that they disbanded the women's team out of the blue and left it non-existent for almost a decade before bringing it back. Meanwhile, Arsenal kept their women's team, hence why my sister ended up playing for them, and so my father decided to gamble his chances and have his son grow at Arsenal because by the way how the Glazers were doing it, he correctly thought that his son would not have a very bright future there and would instead be shoehorned into a team that is mostly a shell of its glorious past". Meanwhile, much like how his sister came to befriend current England Women captain and fellow academy graduate Leah Williamson, Richard, having established a similar close bond of his own with fellow compatriot and academy graduate Bukayo Saka, with the latter often being perceived as his "sidekick" in a lethal attacking duo, Richard otherwise spoke of having no regrets in how his career had turned out so far, stating, "Regardless of how I eventually ended up at Arsenal, I ultimately love it all here, the culture, history, friends, and successes that I have earned and made along the way and they are things that I'm not just going to simply throw it all away if Manchester United ever came knocking on my door one day and asked me to join them just because I briefly had feelings for the club. Ultimately, my home is at Arsenal and I'm planning to keep it that way until I retire".

Romances

The American actress Zoey Deutch in a scene from Zombieland: Double Tap as her character "Madison", a sterotypical dumb blonde.

Since around late 2019, Richard has been in a relationship with American actress Zoey Deutch, daughter of actress Lea Thompson and director Howard Deutch. According to Richard himself, the two first met in Los Angeles, California, during the premiere of Zombieland: Double Tap, a zombie comedy starring Deutch alongside the likes of Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and others. In this, having reportedly found himself smitten by Deutch's character in the film, namely the dumb blonde "Madison", Richard, through the use of his father, an established Hollywood actor prior to taking the throne, thus sought to meet Deutch in person, a story that the royal personally confirmed during a BBC Radio 1 interview, stating, "After watching the trailers of the movie online, I suddenly found myself liking this particular actress a lot. Luckily, my father, a big Hollywood star back in the day, kind of knew Zoey's mother somewhat, meaning that when I asked my father if he and the famous Lea Thompson could maybe help set the two of us up on a date, he was more than excited to help". In any case, on the day of the premiere, behind closed doors, the two did finally meet each other for the first time, after which, about a week after their first encounter, the two subsequently went on their first date together, with Deutch later revealing in one interview how their first date took place at the Scottish Highlands, a place famed for its dynamic landscape and natural beauty, both of which resulted in what the actress called a "very simple but romantic night to remember", adding that the two "did not spend much on things other than on a mattress, some food and drinks, and a pair of horses to get through the hills".

Eventually, after several years of utter secrecy, during which Deutch was occasionally spotted attending Arsenal and England matches in support of her partner, the couple's relationship was confirmed when the two shared a public kiss during on-pitch celebrations marking Arsenal's maiden UEFA Champions League title in Istanbul, Turkey. Following this, the couple maintained a more public but largely unassuming profile as their famous parents, namely King Thomas and Lea Thompson, both largely confirmed and encouraged the young romance between their two children, with Thompson once stating, "Even if they might come from very different backgrounds and do different things like acting and sports, I love seeing them being happy with each other, and if Zoey likes him, I won't mind having a royal son-in-law anyway". Similarly, King Thomas himself remarked, "From the start, I could pretty much tell that Richard had a huge crush on Zoey, so to see them being so happy and loving together just delights me, and I would absolutely love to have a sweet daughter-in-law like Zoey herself". Having been born and raised Jewish, in the event of a future marriage, Deutch, aside from being in the most recent in the line of non-British commoners to marry into the British royal family, would be the second Jewish member of the royal family after Richard's grandmother, the late Queen Lauren. In addition, Deutch would also be the fifth actress to marry into British royalty after Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, Jodie Foster, and Anne Hathaway, the latter two of whom are Richard's aunt-in-law and sister-in-law, respectively. To that end, on 10 November 2024, a date that also doubled as Deutch's 30th birthday, it was revealed that the couple had gotten engaged after Richard personally proposed to the actress, particularly with the engagement ring that once belonged to his late grandmother, who, like Deutch, was an established Hollywood actress of Jewish roots and is currently the first and only Jewish person so far to have married into the British royal family. Then, on November 17, a week after their engagement was announced, the Netflix comedy-drama The Year of Spectacular Men was released. Considered widely to be a "family affair", the film was produced by Howard Deutch, directed jointly by Richard's father King Thomas and Howard's wife Lea Thompson, and starred Richard himself as Richard Bennett, the love interest of the film's main character, namely recent college graduate Sabrina, played by real-life fiance Zoey Deutch, while Madelyn Deutch and Lea Thompson portrayed Izzy and Deb, Sabrina's sister and mother respectively, mirroring their real-life dynamics.

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