ARSENAL midfielder Declan Rice will celebrate his 50th England Cap by wearing the captain’s armband against Belgium in a friendly on Tuesday evening.
The 25-year-old will become the 12th Arsenal Captain to lead the England national team out of the tunnel.
But how exactly did the midfielder reach this point? Well, let us take a look at his rich career so far.
Despite representing Ireland on an international youth level, the Midfielder was born in Kingston-Upon-Thames, London and decided to play join Chelsea’s youth ranks at the age of seven.
However, a teenage Rice was set for heartbreak as the Blues decided to release him at the age of 14, as his cons outweighed the pros.
With the rejection from Chelsea to fuel his desire to succeed within the harsh industry of football, he made the switch to East London to join West Ham United’s youth setup.
At the Hammers, he rose through the ranks at West Ham as a defensive midfielder, including winning an under-18 FA Youth Cup.
His impressive performances at that level have earned recognition from the youth setup of Ireland’s national team, making 20 appearances along the way.
He qualified to play for the national time through affiliation with Irish grandparents.
The midfielder caught the eye of the first-team staff in the 2016/17 campaign and was consequently handed his Premier League debut by Slaven Bilić.
He was brought on as a substitution at Turf Moor against Burnley in the final game of the season, being provided with a minute of game time.
Following David Moyes’ arrival for his first stint at the club in 2017, Rice became an increasingly regular staple in the team with 26 Premier League appearances that season.
This snowballed into Rice earning three caps for the Boys In Green.
However, he decided to switch national affiliation to represent his native England and made his debut in 2019.
The 25-year-old became an icon at West Ham with his relatable personality, cheeky charm and his heartwarming kindness.
After Hammers midfielder Mark Noble retired from football, this meant Rice was the perfect replacement as the club captain.
Wearing the armband with pride, he brought the Europa Conference League trophy back to East London, delivering the club’s second-ever major piece of European silverware.
After making 245 appearances for the side, he decided to make the switch from Stratford to move to North London to play for Arsenal in a massive £105m deal.
He has made 39 appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side so far this term and has been one of their key players.
Racking up his 50th England cap tonight will be one of many milestones Rice is yet to reach in the rest of his football career.
