To appreciate the impact of sports from a global perspective, think about it in these terms. Chris Richards of Birmingham, a 22-year-old Black soccer player, is making people proud of Alabama on the world stage.

Richards is a center back for London’s Crystal Palace of the English Premier League. He made his starting debut in January against Manchester United. For the present-day image of Alabama, there isn’t really anything more profound than the journey of Richards from the youth soccer fields of Birmingham to the sold-out stadiums of the most competitive sporting endeavor on the planet, the Prem.

I’ve been writing about Richards since he was 18 years old. His father played basketball at Birmingham-Southern, but Chris chose soccer over hoops. He has gone from Birmingham to Dallas to Germany to London. He is one of the best American soccer players in the world, an ambassador of Alabama and a trailblazer of Southern-American Black history.

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Earlier this week, after months of effort, I interviewed Richards for the first time. As an Alabamian living abroad, he wears his pride for the state he loves like a badge of honor. Here’s what I love about Richards best of all. At just 22 years old, he understands what he represents and that he is a role model for kids back home. He is Black history, and he also wears Black history.

Tattooed on his arms are the images of Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Jr., Kobe Bryant and Muhammad Ali.

Away from The States but always thinking of home, Richards got the ink while living in Germany and playing for Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim.

“We call it Black History Month,” Richards said, “but it’s not something that should be just cut down to one month. We should celebrate each other all year long. Everyone has a story to tell, but every tattoo also has a story to tell.

“I don’t know what Black History Month will look like 50 years from now, 60 years from now, but when my grandkids or my kids or whoever sees my skin, it’s a story to tell and it should not be lost or forgotten.”

Nothing, it seems, is lost on Richards, who represents a new generation of U.S. soccer players. They are fiercely American in spirit and swagger like those legends before them, but a step above in the totality of their skill and ability. Coming out of the most recent World Cup, Richards is one of six mainline contributors for the United States Men’s Senior National Team who are 25 years old or younger and currently featuring in the Premier League. The others are Brenden Aarsonson (22), Tyler Adams (24), and Weston McKennie (24) of Leeds United, Christian Pulisic of Chelsea (24) and Antonee Robinson (25) of Fulham. Other young Americans are on the way, too.

The Premier League is a distillation of the most elite collection of talent in sports. There are only 20 teams and they all feature world-class players. The current roster of Richards’ Crystal Palace, for example, is represented by 13 different nationalities. Unlike in American sports, tanking is not an option in the Premiership. There are no Houston Rockets or Houston Texans. There isn’t a Vanderbilt in the Premier League. In the SEC, the worst coaches get fired every season. In the Premier League, every year, the bottom three teams in the standings are booted down to the second division.

Best of luck, losers.

This is the pressure that Richards and his teammates know every Saturday, and it’s impossible to recreate in the SEC, NBA, NFL or Major League Soccer. But even the other top-flight soccer leagues of Europe have nothing on the Prem. Crystal Palace is currently 12th in the Premier League table, and plays Brentford on Saturday. Next is Liverpool and then comes Aston Villa, Manchester City, Brighton and Arsenal. Among that list, year after year, are some of the best clubs in the world.

Richards is on a five-year deal with Crystal Palace, but that doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup or even a permanent place on the roster. It’s nothing for teams in the Premier League to loan out the players who can cut it, and then try again.

Americans, traditionally, are given less of an opportunity to figure things out before being shipped out. Long-time American soccer fans can count on their hands the number of Yanks who have thrived long term in the Premier League.

Richards is playing against that stigma, too, but he feels like things are changing for the better.

“I think Americans in the soccer world are viewed as not to par, but to have seven and eight players in the Premier League, and not just guys who are in and out of the roster, but guys who are staples for their team, it’s really eye-opening for not just the rest of the world but for kids back home.

“If you put in your time, if you put your head down, you can also do it. It’s not something that’s out of reach anymore.”

Richards is something different all his own, though. Which is to say, he represents one of the most significant developments in the history of U.S. Soccer. He is a Black soccer player in the Premier League who was born and raised in Alabama. That’s a one-of-one distinction when compared to history. For the U.S. to one day win a World Cup, some would say that needs to be the future.

“Don’t let anyone take away from your dreams,” Richards said. “Growing up, teachers would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I would say professional soccer player, and not only would they laugh, but they would be like if I said professional football player, OK, doable maybe. But professional soccer player? No chance.

“Don’t let anyone discourage you from what you want to do. Whether it’s be a soccer player or to be a chef. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. As long as you believe in yourself, and put in the work, then you can do it.”

Richards represents a lot of things to a lot of different people. Understand this, though, about Birmingham’s trendsetting world ambassador. When people abroad talk to him about his home back in The States, they all smile and want him to appreciate one thing.

And y’all already know what it is.

It’s how much they love the song “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’”. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.