Who is Rico Lewis? The Man City prodigy who is one of the best Pep Guardiola has ever trained
Rico Lewis is still just a teenager but has already taken the world by storm.
Given his maturity, intelligence and quality on the pitch, it’s easy to forget Rico Lewis in just his second season of top-level football and has already won all there is to win.
The young defender had a key role in Manchester City’s treble triumph, playing far more minutes than Phil Foden did at the same age, and that’s only going to grow as he gets even better.
Pep Guardiola has already declared his love and admiration for the player who is set to star in the City side for a decade at the very least.
But what else is there to know about the Blues prodigy? We’ve answered your most frequently asked questions below.
How old is Rico Lewis
Rico Mark Leiws was born on November 21, 2004 in Bury, Greater Manchester, England.
As of April 2024, he is 19 years old.
Rico Lewis height and weight
Rico Lewis stands at 5 feet and 7 inches (169cm) tall and weighs 64kg.
Despite his slender frame, Lewis has proven more than capable of competing against the Premier League’s physical brutes.
Rico Lewis X and Instagram accounts
Rico Lewis has an official Instagram account with 995,000 followers. He mostly posts pictures of him in action for the club.
However, he does not have an X, formerly known as Twitter, account.
Does Rico Lewis have a girlfriend?
According to the Daily Mail, Rico Lewis does have a girlfriend who is ‘attempting to make him read more’ but little more detail is known about her.
Rico Lewis salary and contract
Rico Lewis is paid a weekly wage of £25,000 after he signed a new contract in August 2023.
He earns a yearly salary of £1.3m and is contracted until June 30, 2028.
When did Rico Lewis join Man City?
Rico Lewis joined Manchester City when he was just eight years old and enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks.
By the time he was 15, he was playing for the under-18s and was soon named captain as he won the 2021-22 U18 league title.
He made his first team debut on August 13, 2022, after coming on off the bench against Bournemouth in the 82nd minute.
Rico Lewis stats
Rico Lewis Man City stats
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards | Minutes played |
| 2022/23 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1,427 |
| 2023/24 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1,606 |
| Total | 50 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3,031 |
Rico Lewis international stats
| Age group | Caps | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards | Minutes played |
| England U16s | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 128 |
| England U18s | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 523 |
| England U19s | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 231 |
| England U21s | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 415 |
Rico Lewis England call-up
Lewis earned his first England call-up during the March 2024 international break but did not make his debut.
Rico Lewis trophies won and honours
Man City trophies won
- Two Premier League titles – 2022/23, 2023/24
- Champions League – 2022/23
- FA Cup – 2023
- UEFA Super Cup – 2023/24
- Club World Cup – 2024
- Two Under-21 Premier League titles – 2021/22, 2022/23
- Two Under-18 Premier League titles – 2020/21, 2021/22
What position does Rico Lewis play?
The youngster soared through City’s ranks as a right-back but nothing is as simple as that when you play for Pep Guardiola.
Though he has mostly played at right-back in the first team, he has often been tasked with the complex role of moving from defence into midfield and isn’t far behind John Stones in his ability to do so.
As a result of his sublime ability on the ball, Lewis has played defensive midfield, attacking midfield and has also filled in at left-back.
His versatility makes him extremely useful to the manager.
Rico Lewis squad number
Rico Lewis wears No.82 for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s praise for Lewis
Pep Guardiola is a massive fan of Rico Lewis and showered him in praise following a fine performance against RB Leipzig in October 2023.
Here’s what he said in his post-match press conference: “What a player. What a player.
“18 years old. I have been a manager for 14, 15 years training unbelievable players.
“To find a player like him playing in the pockets, how he has to move in holding midfield, full-back coming inside moving in the spaces – he is one of the best I ever trained by far.
“He is a humble guy, doesn’t talk much, but has the appreciation of all his mates.
“He didn’t play much this season – last season he was a key point and helped us understand what we should do in our build-up. Today was proof again.
“This season he hasn’t played as much but he is going to play a lot.
“His composure from day one is always surprising. I didn’t even consider bringing him on pre-season the previous one.
“Carlos Vicens said ‘maybe you can bring Rico’. Because he can play right-back, left back, I didn’t know him.
“Then he played against Bayern Munich at right-back and I thought this guy is good! “Then he started training with us and I said ‘oh this guy is good!’
“When you play inside, you have to be 360 and you have passes coming from everywhere, that is the most difficult position to play. As a central defender, all you see is in front of you.
“He is a big talent and to find that is not easy, to come from the Academy, he always trained so good.
“I’m very pleased for him. He deserves all the praise from ourselves and the media – he deserves it.
“He is a member of the squad in ability. Most important thing for a player is when you gain the respect of your teammates,” added the boss.
“When your mates can rely on you on the pitch, you are in heaven. This is the most important thing by far.
“The players are not stupid. They smell everything on the pitch. They know who they can rely on on the pitch – and they can rely on him.”
Who is Rico Lewis’ sister?
Rico Lewis isn’t the only member of his family to play football or even the only one to play for Manchester City.
According to Rising Ballers, his sister Sarah Lewis is a winger who plays for the club’s Under-16s Women’s side.
His grandfather played with Oasis
Rico Lewis revealed in an interview with the Daily Mail that his grandfather, Dave, played bass with Oasis on tour.
He said: “My grandad was a bassist, he went on tour with Oasis.
“He could probably tell you all the stories but I can’t remember. That was one of the reasons I started.
“He’s a big City fan as well, he’s over the moon when I play.”
