Declan Rice ready for ‘pinch me moment’ when he captains England against Belgium
The Arsenal midfielder will lead his country out on Tuesday for the first time
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Declan Rice is ready for a “pinch me moment” when he captains England for the first time against Belgium.
The Arsenal midfielder, who will win his 50th England cap in the friendly, has been in great form for the Gunners since his club-record £105m move across London from West Ham last summer.
His fine season will continue when he leads his country out as skipper in front of a sold-out Wembley in the final match before manager Gareth Southgate names his 23-man squad for Euro 2024.
“Fifty caps is a pinch me moment,” he said. “It is going to be an honour tomorrow night and I’m really looking forward to it. I think I’ve grown so much as a player and a person since I first came into the group at 19.
“I was probably a bit of a nervous player when I first came into the England squad but as time has gone on, I’ve played more Premier League games, more games at higher levels, big major tournaments.
“I think I’ve grown into it in the side. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it.”
Asked about Southgate’s decision to name Rice as captain in what will likely be a much-changed side, the former West Ham skipper added: “I was speechless to be honest, absolutely lost for words, when he said to me last night I was going to be captain.
“I gave him a hug, shook his hand, and said ‘thanks very much’. I owe him a lot. Since I first came into the team he’s always made me feel at home.
“I’ve always felt so comfortable playing under him. I’ve really grown in confidence, for my 50th cap to walk out at Wembley in front of my family and friends, it’s an absolute honour, you can see it in my face, a bit speechless to be honest with you.”
Fifty caps is a pinch me moment.
Southgate handed Rice his debut in 2019, with the midfielder having already received three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland.
For the Kingston-born Rice, though, Southgate always saw a potential leader even from such a young age.
“Its his 50th cap, he has great leadership experience already at a tender age,” he said.
“No question (he had leadership potential). You get a feel for a human being, and often their family play a big part in that.
“With Dec you could sense that stability, maturity in the decision-making process that he’s going through. And of course he’s led from a very young age at West Ham as well.
“He’s already gained some good experiences and I’m pushing him in that aspect as well. Because it would be easy to take a little step back as we’ve got a lot of older players here, but some of our young ones have got great leadership already.
“They’re more than entitled to be bossing the older ones round a little bit as well, and being demanding of them and of us as a coaching staff, and driving the team, he’s got all those qualities and the respect of everybody to do that.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments