Michael Johnson

Youth career

Johnson began his youth career with Leeds United, joining Excelsior in 2000 and Everton in 2002. He joined his only senior club Manchester City in 2004, graduating to the first team in 2006. He was part of the Manchester City youth team that reached the 2006 FA Youth Cup Final. Johnson was skipper of the FA Youth Cup runners-up team in the absence of Micah Richards during the 2005–06 season and became the 20th Academy Graduate to progress from Platt Lane to the City first team, making his debut away for manager Stuart Pearce at Wigan on 21 October 2006. His ability to run with the ball, score goals and operate box-to-box caught the eye both locally and nationally.

Manchester City

On 21 October 2006, he was rewarded for his progress and made his Manchester City debut in the Premier League, in a 4–0 defeat by Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium. His second start came in a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough in March 2007, the start of a run of seven consecutive first team appearances, which was ended by a hamstring injury which ruled him out of a match against Aston Villa. He scored his first goal for City in a 1–0 win over Derby County on 15 August 2007 at the City of Manchester Stadium; the first home league goal City had scored since the new year. Johnson spent the end of 2007 and early 2008 out of the team with an abdominal injury during which time he would have a double-hernia operation. He returned to action on 29 February 2008, playing the full 90…

Johnson represented England at under-19 level and under-21 level.

Johnson was born in Urmston, Greater Manchester. In February 2012, Johnson was arrested for drink-driving when police in Manchester city centre pulled him over and breathalysed him. While on bail for this offence, he was arrested again following a crash in the early hours in Trafford. Then again in June 2012 Johnson was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving at the scene of a collision after he crashed his Mercedes into a parked car while travelling to his girlfriend's house in Urmston. In September 2012 he was fined a total of £5,500 for all three offences by Manchester Magistrates Court. In an interview with the Manchester Evening News following his release from Manchester City, he stated that he had been under treatment for several years by The Priory Clinic for mental health problems. Johnson added that he "would be grateful if I could now be left alone to live the rest of my life." In January 2015, Johnson opened his own estate agent's business in his hometown of Urmston.