Who is Micah Hamilton?: Once a Manchester City ball boy, now one of the club's future stars

Hailing from the heart of Manchester, Micah Hamilton, a gifted attacking midfielder, embodies the true spirit of homegrown talent. His journey with Manchester City began at the tender age of nine, where he seamlessly navigated through the Club's youth ranks from a young age.

During his time in Manchester City's youth system, Micah used to be a ball boy for City's home game at the Etihad stadium. During a game at the Etihad against Crystal Palace in September 2017, Pep Guardiola himself had a word with the then ball boy Micah Hamilton to help the Manchester City team.

6 years down the line, Micah has come up the ranks and made his entry into the Manchester City senior squad. Not only that, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder debuted for the current Champions League champions against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia on 13th December 2023.

Not only that, Micah Hamilton went on to score his first UCL goal for the club within 19 minutes of his debut. From the right wing, Micah brilliantly opened the scoring with a delightful strike in the 19th minute of the game, skillfully set up by Matheus Nunes down the right channel.

Not only he scored, he nearly assisted Oscar Bobb right before the halftime of the game. Micah then earned a penalty for the City team in the closing part of the game, as they the won the match by 3-2.

Blessed with a remarkable ability to play both through the middle and on the flanks, Hamilton has utilized his electrifying pace to trouble defenses across various age groups. Micah stepped into the limelight during the 2018/19 season, making his debut in the Premier League Under-18 north category, marking the beginning of his ascent through the ranks.

However, it was in the 2020/21 campaign that Hamilton truly showcased his prowess. Demonstrating a natural goal-scoring instinct coupled with impeccable technique, he played a pivotal role in Manchester City's Under-18s clinching both the northern regional title and the national crown. Throughout the season, the England youth international scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 22 league appearances, boasting an impressive goal contribution rate.

In the next season, Hamilton helped Manchester City win a successive Premier League 2 title.

Micah Hamilton proving it works out really well when you listen to Pep Guardiola's instructions, as a #ManCity ball boy back in 2017. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/G7dQ5sFyXt

— City Report (@cityreport_) December 13, 2023

What did Pep Guardiola say to ball boy Micah Hamilton in that game against Crystal Palace in September 2017?

Not happy with the pace of the game, coach Pep Guardiola had instructed Micah Hamilton to speed up the service so the game gets the speed he wanted.

"There was five, ten seconds before someone goes to take the ball and start to play. When this happens everything is slow.

"So the ball boys were slow, everybody was slow. And we have to create in the game, to provoke the game. And we didn't for most of the time in the first half."

"In the second half, you could see immediately that the team was ready," Pep told in the press conference after the game.