Arsenal star Declan Rice hails 'best journey' as Ireland to England switch marked
03/22/2025 03:58 PM
Arsenal ace Declan Rice has sent a message to reflect on a major part of his playing career, after reaching a significant anniversary.
Throughout his youth career, the midfielder was a regular feature at underage level for the Republic of Ireland, who he was eligible to represent through his grandparents.
Indeed, Rice even made three senior international appearances for the Boys in Green, but having been born in London, he was able to switch allegiances to England prior to playing a competitive international.
That is something he did, and the Arsenal man has since become a regular for the Three Lions on the senior international stage.
Declan Rice reflects six years after England debut
Rice’s England debut came on 22 March 2019, when he came on as a substitute in a Euro 2020 qualifier against the Czech Republic.
Since then, the midfielder has gone on to amass 63 caps for the Three Lions, the latest of which came as England beat Albania 2-0 in World Cup qualifying on Friday (21 March).
| Declan Rice vs Albania | Total (as per SofaScore) |
| Successful Passes | 84/88 |
| Duels Won | 2/3 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Dribbles | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
Indeed, the 26-year-old is now one of the first names on the teamsheet for the national side, with debate often surrounding who partners him in central midfield.
Rice has been part of the squads that reached the finals of both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, as well as the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup, where he was heavily involved as a starter.
On Saturday (22 March) after the official England account shared a post noting the six-year anniversary of his derby, the Arsenal midfielder then added that to his own Instagram story.
He also included a caption that read: “The best journey! Times flies”.
Arsenal midfielder can add many more caps to his tally
Football Insider Verdict
At just 26-years-old, Rice still has plenty of time remaining in his career to get plenty more caps under his belt.
There is also no reason he should not do that, given he continues to be a reliable performer when representing England.
Rice also continues to make valuable contributions for Arsenal at the very top of the club game, which further aids his cause when it comes to international selection.
With that in mind he must surely be eyeing up a number of other milestones in an England shirt over the years to come.
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