Michael Thomas Boulding (born 8 February 1976) is an English professional footballer, who plays for Bradford City. He can play as a forward or as a winger, and had previously been a promising young tennis player, ranking among the top 20 players in Britain. He has also been involved with running the family's property business.
Born in Manchester, England, Boulding excelled at both football and tennis, but chose to adopt the latter after he was spotted by coach Tony Pickard, who trained Boulding for ten years. However, having continued to train as a footballer and play in the non-league with Hallam, he finished his tennis career in 1999, when he turned a professional footballer with Mansfield Town. He played for two years in Division Three with Mansfield, before he moved up two divisions to Grimsby Town. After scoring 11 goals in a season with Grimsby, he attracted interest from Premier League-side Aston Villa. However, his stay with Villa was short-lived and his only first team action was in the Intertoto Cup, before he returned to Grimsby. He spent another two years with Grimsby and then another two with Barnsley, before he decided to retire in 2005.
Boulding worked in the family business but returned to football in March 2006, with Rotherham United. He did not play for Rotherham in two months and instead returned to Mansfield Town, along with his brother, Rory, at the end of the season. Boulding scored just six goals in his first season with Mansfield. However, after he scored 25 in his second season, when the team were relegated from The Football League, he attracted interest from a number of League One and Two clubs. He eventually decided to join Bradford City, again with his brother.