Profile
City’s rising star built by a boxer father
| Name | Rico Lewis |
| Date of Birth | November 21, 2004 |
| Nationality/Birthplace | England（Bury） |
| Height | 1.69M |
| Position | Right Back |
| Affiliation | Manchester City |
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Career
▲2004-2022 (Childhood-Manchester City)
His father, Rick Lewis, is a former professional boxer who was active as “Kru Rick”, and he has an athlete’s bloodline, such as holding the lightweight title belt in the UK in the past. Since 2001, he has run Phoenix Muay Thai, a gym for men and women of all ages, in Whitefield, Greater Manchester. It was also in the neighboring town of Berry that he was born from that relationship.
He was given boxing gloves as a matter of course, and was taught how to use his body through Muhammad Ali’s videos from an early age, but his father never forced things on him. Therefore, by the time he was 2 or 3 years old, he was kicking a soccer ball, and with his father’s recommendation, he chose a career as a footballer, and at the age of 8 he joined the “Manchester City” academy.
In 2018, he participated in “MIC FOOTBALL”, a gateway tournament for junior generations, and in September 2020, after the impact of COVID-19, he made his debut in the opening section of the U18 Premier League at the age of 15. In the 2021/22 season, when he served as captain due to the change of generations, he won the U18 Premier League and contributed to the league championship through the top, U23, and U18 categories. He was also named U18 Player of the Year and made his debut for Manchester City EDS (U23) in October 2021 during the season.
In July 2022, he was named as one of 11 new professional contract players, and in the pre-season for the 2022/23 season, he accompanied the top team to the US tour. When Pep Guardiola paid attention to Bayern Munich match and training, in the Premier League (England 1st division) held on August 13, 2022, Kyle Walker made his debut in the top team at once.
After that, Kyle Walker was injured and left, so he joined the top team to fill the right side back layer. In the UEFA Champions League in November 2022, he was selected as the starting lineup for the first time against Sevilla, who had already decided to break through the group stage. Then, when he scored a valuable equalizer goal in the 7th minute of the second half of the 1-point behind, this score updated the youngest score record in the first starter in the Champions League, and he is lively in the top team despite being 17 years old.
Style of Play
His main battlefield is right-back, but in the youth category, he has experience being appointed as a left-back and defensive midfielder due to the absence of players. At present, he is 169 cm tall and does not have an advantage, but his father, a former professional boxer, teaches him how to fight even with such a small body. It is thanks to boxing that I am able to fight with a stable low center of gravity, agility, and the ability to calmly assess and deal with any opponent.
In addition, the ability inherited from his father is not limited to how to use his body, he is a professional who aggressively participates in attacks and has a challenging spirit to aim for a goal when there is a chance, and a confident appearance that does not flinch even on the stage of the top team. It is connected to the mentality of what you want to be. At the age of 17, he has quickly penetrated into the play of the top team with his extraordinary technique, depth of understanding of tactics, and momentum, but the true value is when the level of demand is gradually approaching and the physical wall is approaching. It will be a scene.
That said, he’s well-positioned to grow, with advice from world-class full-backs Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo. He is expected to grow like Dani Alves, who is positioned as a role model by those around him.
Representative Career
Starting with England U16, who made his debut at the age of 14 in August 2019, he has a history of being called up by each generation representative. He is showing good progress in jumping grades, including England U18 in September 2021 and England U19 in September 2022 a year later.
Transfer Rumors
The first professional contract signed before the season is until the end of June 2025, but it is said that the talk of contract extension negotiations has already emerged from the current success. He has a strong affection for Manchester City, which he has belonged to since he was 8 years old, and it is likely that he will remain in the city for the time being, as he has experiences that cannot be experienced by other clubs’ full-backs.
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