Rico Lewis

Rico Mark Lewis (born 21 November 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back or defensive midfielder for club Manchester City and the England national team.

Early life
Rico Mark Lewis was born on 21 November 2004 in Bury, Greater Manchester. When he was young, Lewis was inspired by the boxer Muhammad Ali. He is of Jamaican descent.

Early career
Lewis joined Manchester City's academy at the age of eight and joined the club's under-18 team at the age of 15. He captained the team for the 2021–22 season, with the team winning the title.

2022–23 season


Lewis was named on City's bench for the first time for Manchester City's first match of the 2022–23 season, and made his Premier League debut a week later, on 13 August 2022, against AFC Bournemouth, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Kyle Walker. On 5 October, Lewis made his UEFA Champions League debut for Manchester City in a 5–0 win against Copenhagen, entering as a substitute for João Cancelo.

After a string of substitute appearances, Lewis was given his first start in the Champions League on 2 November 2022, scoring the equaliser in a 3–1 comeback win against Sevilla. In doing so, he became the youngest scorer on a first start in a Champions League match, and City's youngest ever Champions League scorer, aged 17 years and 346 days. Lewis received racist abuse during the match from Sevilla fans. On 28 December, he was given his first start in the Premier League, in a 3–1 win over Leeds United, playing until the 68th minute, coming off for João Cancelo.

On 20 May 2023, Manchester City won the 2022–23 Premier League title, with Lewis playing 14 matches, starting 10. His team also won the FA Cup, with him playing all games but the final, completing a domestic double. On 10 June, his team won the Champions League for the first time, with Lewis being an unused substitute in the final, completing a continental treble, a feat only achieved once before in English football.

2023–present
On 16 August 2023, Lewis signed a new five-year contract with City. He scored his first league goal for the club on 16 December in a 2–2 draw at home to Crystal Palace.

International career
In September 2021, Lewis scored for the England national under-18 team in a draw against Wales.

On 21 September 2022, Lewis made his under-19 debut in a 2–0 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification win over Montenegro in Denmark.

Lewis made his debut for the under-21s on 28 March 2023 in a 2–1 defeat to Croatia at Craven Cottage.

On 13 November 2023, Lewis received his first call-up to the senior England national team ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia. He made his debut on 20 November, playing the entirety of a 1–1 draw away to North Macedonia, a result that ensured England top seeding at Euro 2024.

Honours
Manchester City
 * Premier League: 2022–23, 2023–24
 * FA Cup: 2022–23; runner-up: 2023–24
 * UEFA Champions League: 2022–23
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2023
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2023