Six months on from lifting the FA Cup, three months on from the raising the Community Shield, at Wembley – and half-a-season out from the United States hosting the FIFA World Cup finals – the 25-year-old has been a resolute presence in the Palace backline of late, with the Eagles impressive defensively so far this season.
Palace’s elevation to a new level – with European football this season and a desire to challenge on four fronts – has come with a natural learning curve, which Richards says has been underscored for him by a personal motivation.
The defender said: “I had a daughter [Luna] this year, and that was something that really changed my focus. It showed me that I have a bit more to do. I want to make sure that she's set for life. It really made me focus more on the pitch.
“Also, I think there’s this togetherness that we have here at Palace and with the national team that I've seen over the last year. We've all grown – not just as players, but as people. I think when those two values align, you can really create something special.
“With Palace, we've worked years for the moments that we had last season. Again, I think we started off the season really well, and it's just been off the back of a lot of hard work.
“Same with the national team. We have a new coach with Mauricio [Pochettino] and he's taught us a lot of new values. We took them on and just tried to do our best with it and I think we're also reaping the benefits of that.”
