Declan Rice
Declan Rice admits that he is hoping to captain England one day after learning from the likes of Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane on international duty. Rice has captained West Ham at times in the absence of Mark Noble, and says that captaining the country is something he has always dreamed of. The midfielder has been a regular in the England squad of late after switching his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland. Rice, who can also play centre-back, says that the example of Liverpool captain Henderson and Kane have been important to him since his introduction to the national team.
Declan Rice said “I’ve been privileged enough, if I look back at my time at West Ham in the Academy, in the 16s, the 18s, the 21s, to be captain of those age groups, It’s just something that, as a kid, has always been one of my dreams – to be a captain. Coming up with Nobes as our captain and, me, being the rising player in the team, the manager has given me the armband when Nobes isn’t playing. I’m taking it in my stride and I’m really lucky I’ve someone like Noble to help along the way. I’m only 21 and captaining the team in big games like Liverpool and Manchester City – long may that continue. If you look at Jordan and what he’s done for his whole career but, especially the last couple of years, it’s so important for me to learn and get better. We know his qualities on the ball but you don’t realise until you play next to him, his leadership qualities. He is non-stop, always on at you in a good, positive way. That gives you the confidence to go and fight for the badge. With Harry, you feel his presence all the time. He wasn’t involved against Ireland but beforehand, he’s in the changing-room, getting everyone ready. He’s talking to the lads, individually. For a youngster like me, aspiring to be a future captain, that’s great.”
