September 7th 2024.
Declan Rice made a conscious decision not to celebrate after scoring the first goal for England against Republic of Ireland. He explained that it would have been disrespectful to his family history to celebrate in front of the Irish fans. Despite the booing and jeers directed at him and teammate Jack Grealish, they both remained focused and put on impressive performances throughout the game.
Under the interim management of Lee Carsley, England dominated the Nations League match with two unanswered goals in the first half from Rice and Grealish. Both players have previously represented Ireland, which was evident from the strong reaction of the Irish supporters towards them.
Rice opened the scoring with a stunning first-time strike in the 11th minute, but instead of celebrating, he held his hands out in a gesture of respect towards the Irish fans. He later assisted Grealish in scoring the second goal with a beautiful cut-back. When asked about his decision not to celebrate, Rice revealed that his grandparents on his father's side were all Irish and had passed away. He did not want to disrespect them by celebrating against their home team.
Despite his strong ties to Ireland, Rice has no regrets about his time playing for them in the past. He holds fond memories of representing Ireland in the first team, as well as in the Under-19s and Under-21s. He also wishes them all the best, as he does with anyone.
In the 84th minute, as captain Harry Kane was being replaced, he offered the armband to Rice. However, the midfielder declined, feeling that John Stones deserved it more due to his seniority and experience with the national team.
Rice explained that he had been working on his attacking skills since returning to his club, and has had good conversations with his manager about being versatile and playing in both the No.8 and No.6 positions. He was pleased to have scored a goal in Dublin but felt he could have scored more, as he had other chances to do so.
He also mentioned that his natural instinct to hit the ball first time led to his goal. He was happy to see it hit the back of the net, especially after making a strong run towards the goal. Rice is looking forward to playing in both midfield roles for his club and country, and believes it suits his game well.
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