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Declan Rice

Rice with England in 2023

Personal information

Full name

Declan Rice

Date of birth

14 January 1999 (age 26)

Place of birth

Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England

Height

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Position(s)

Defensive midfielder

Team information

Current team

Arsenal

Number

Youth career

2006–2013

Chelsea

2013–2017

West Ham United

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2017–2023

West Ham United

204

(10)

2023–

Arsenal

(11)

International career^‡

2015–2016

Republic of Ireland U17

(2)

2016–2017

Republic of Ireland U19

(0)

2017–2018

Republic of Ireland U21

(0)

2018

Republic of Ireland

(0)

2019–

England

(5)

Medal record

Men's football

Representing England
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up	2020
Runner-up	2024
UEFA Nations League
Third	2019

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:05, 25 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 00:25, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

Declan Rice (born 14 January 1999) is a talented English footballer. He plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal. He also plays for the England national team. Declan is known for his amazing energy, how well he carries the ball, and his strong tackles. Many people think he is one of the best midfielders in the world.

Declan started his professional journey at West Ham United. He had been released from Chelsea's youth academy earlier. By 2017, he became a very important player for West Ham. In 2022, he became the team's captain. The next year, he led West Ham to win the UEFA Europa Conference League. He was even named the best player of that competition!

After playing 245 games for West Ham, Declan joined Arsenal in July 2023. This was a huge transfer, costing £100 million. It made him one of the most expensive English players ever.

Declan could have played for either England or the Republic of Ireland. He played for Ireland's youth and senior teams before 2019. Then, he decided to play for England. He made his England debut in 2019. He has played for England in big tournaments like UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 2024. England finished second in both European Championships he played in.

Early Life and Football Start
Club Career Highlights
- West Ham United Journey
  - First Steps: 2015–2020
  - Leading the Team: 2020–2023
- Arsenal Adventure
  - Starting Strong: 2023–24
  - Continuing Success: 2024–25
International Career
- Playing for Ireland
- Representing England
How Declan Rice Plays
Personal Life
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances
- International Appearances
Awards and Achievements
See also

Early Life and Football Start

Declan Rice was born on January 14, 1999, in Kingston upon Thames, London. He grew up there. His grandparents on his father's side were from Cork, Ireland. When he was seven, in 2006, he joined the Chelsea academy.

In 2013, when he was 14, Chelsea let him go. After a trial, he joined the West Ham United academy. His coach at West Ham, Trevor Bumstead, said Declan's strong will helped him succeed. Declan won the Premier League Cup with the under-21 team in 2016. He also won the Premier League 2 Division 2 with the under-23 team in 2020.

Club Career Highlights

West Ham United Journey

First Steps: 2015–2020

Rice playing for West Ham United in 2019

Declan signed his first professional contract with West Ham on December 16, 2015. This was two years after he joined their youth team. He first joined the senior team for games in April 2017. He had impressed everyone in the under-23 squad. His first game for the senior team was on the last day of the 2016–17 Premier League season. He came on as a substitute in a 2–1 win against Burnley.

In April 2018, Declan was named the second-best player for the "Hammer of the Year" award. On December 22, 2018, he played his 50th game for West Ham. He was the first teenager since Michael Carrick to do this for the club. A few days later, he signed a new contract until 2024.

On January 12, 2019, Declan scored his first goal for West Ham. It was a winning goal in a 1–0 match against Arsenal. He was named the best player of the match. Later that year, he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. At the end of the 2018–19 season, his teammates voted him "Players' Player of the Year." He also won "Individual Performance of the Season" for his game against Arsenal. He was named "Young Hammer of the Year" for the third year in a row.

On December 28, 2019, Declan captained West Ham for the first time. He was only 20 years old. He played every minute of West Ham's 38 league games in the 2019–20 season. He was among the top players in the Premier League for tackles and interceptions. He won the "Hammer of the Year" award for the first time in 2020.

Leading the Team: 2020–2023

Rice (right) celebrates after winning the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final with West Ham United

On February 15, 2021, Declan scored his first goal of the season from a penalty kick. This helped West Ham win 3–0 against Sheffield United. In April 2021, he got a knee injury while playing for England. This meant he couldn't play for West Ham for about a month.

Declan played his first European game on September 16, 2021. He also scored his first European goal in a 2–0 win against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.

In May 2022, Declan was named "Hammer of the Year" for the second time. He was also chosen for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League Team of the Year. After Mark Noble retired, Declan became the captain of West Ham in May 2022.

On October 16, 2022, Declan scored his first goal of the season. It was a fantastic shot from 22 yards that helped West Ham draw 1–1 with Southampton. On April 20, 2023, he scored a great goal in the UEFA Europa Conference League. He ran over 50 meters with the ball before scoring against Gent. This goal was called "perhaps the standout strike of Rice's career."

In May 2023, he won "Hammer of the Year" again for the 2022–23 season. On June 8, 2023, UEFA named Declan the "Player of the Season" for the Europa Conference League. He had led West Ham to win their first major European trophy since 1965. They beat Fiorentina 2–1 in the final. During that season, Declan won the ball back more than any other Premier League player. He also made the most interceptions.

Declan left West Ham in July 2023 to join Arsenal. He played 245 games for West Ham and scored 15 goals. He is one of only three West Ham captains to have led the club to a major trophy. West Ham's chairman said they wanted him to stay, but Declan wanted to play at the highest level.

Arsenal Adventure

Starting Strong: 2023–24

Rice playing for Arsenal in 2023

On July 15, 2023, Declan Rice signed a long-term contract with Arsenal. The transfer fee was reported to be £100 million, which could go up by £5 million. This made him the most expensive English player at the time.

Declan played his first game for Arsenal on August 6 against Manchester City. Arsenal won the 2023 FA Community Shield after a penalty shootout. On August 12, he started in Arsenal's first Premier League game of the 2023–24 Premier League season. They won 2–1 against Nottingham Forest. On September 3, he scored his first goal for Arsenal. It was a late goal that helped his team win 3–1 against Manchester United.

Declan was nominated for "The Best FIFA Men's Player" award. This was because of his great performances for both West Ham and Arsenal, and for England. On February 11, he scored his first goal against his old club, West Ham United. Arsenal won that game 6–0.

Continuing Success: 2024–25

On December 21, 2024, Declan came off the bench against Crystal Palace. He scored a goal and helped Gabriel Martinelli score another in a 5–1 win. On January 22, 2025, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

On April 8, he scored two goals from free kicks in a 3–0 home win against Real Madrid. This was in the Champions League quarter-finals. He was the first player ever to score two free kicks in a Champions League knockout game. On May 18, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United. This helped Arsenal finish second in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. After a very successful season, Declan was voted the Arsenal Player of the Season. He was also chosen for the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season. He was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

On June 20, 2025, it was announced that Declan was one of six players nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.

International Career

Playing for Ireland

Declan was born in London, but he could play for Ireland. This is because his grandparents were from Cork. On March 19, 2017, he was named the Republic of Ireland U17 player of the year. A few days after his Premier League debut, he was called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad. He made his senior debut on March 23, 2018, in a 1–0 loss to Turkey.

In August 2018, Ireland's manager, Martin O'Neill, did not pick Declan for the squad. He said Declan was thinking about playing for England. By November 2018, Declan said he still hadn't decided. In December 2018, he met with the new Ireland manager, Mick McCarthy. McCarthy said Declan could be a future captain for Ireland.

Representing England

Rice playing for England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

On February 13, 2019, Declan decided to play for England. FIFA confirmed his change of national team on March 5. On March 13, he was called up to the England squad for their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying games. He made his England debut on March 22 as a substitute against the Czech Republic.

On March 25, 2019, England manager Gareth Southgate gave Declan his first start for the national team. England won 5–1 against Montenegro. After his successful season with West Ham, Declan was chosen for the England squad for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. In September 2019, Declan said he received threats online after changing teams. He was the first player since Jack Reynolds in the 1890s to play for both countries.

Declan was part of the England squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He played in all seven games for England. They finished second in the final, losing to Italy.

He was also included in the England squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He started all five matches as England reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to France.

Before his 50th game for England, it was announced that Declan would captain England for the first time. This was against Belgium in March 2024. On June 6, he was named in England's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He started in midfield in their first match against Serbia. England won 1–0.

How Declan Rice Plays

Declan Rice mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. He is known for his great athleticism and his ability to tackle opponents. More recently, he has also become known as a more complete midfielder. This is because he is good at carrying the ball forward and scoring goals from far away. Sometimes, he plays in a more attacking role, like a box-to-box midfielder. People also praise his passing skills.

Personal Life

Declan Rice has been close friends with Mason Mount since they were kids. They played together at Chelsea's academy. His cousin, Finley Munroe, is also a professional footballer for Aston Villa.

In August 2022, Declan shared that he and his long-term girlfriend, Lauren Fryer, had welcomed their first child, a son.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
West Ham United U23	2016–17	—			—		—		—		2	0	2	0
	2017–18	—			—		—		—		1	0	1	0
	Total		—		—		—		—		3	0	3	0
West Ham United	2016–17	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2017–18	Premier League	26	0	1	0	4	0	—		—		31	0
	2018–19	Premier League	34	2	1	0	3	0	—		—		38	2
	2019–20	Premier League	38	1	2	0	0	0	—		—		40	1
	2020–21	Premier League	32	2	2	0	1	0	—		—		35	2
	2021–22	Premier League	36	1	3	1	1	0	10	3	—		50	5
	2022–23	Premier League	37	4	2	0	0	0	11	1	—		50	5
	Total		204	10	11	1	9	0	21	4	—		245	15
Arsenal	2023–24	Premier League	38	7	1	0	1	0	10	0	1	0	51	7
	2024–25	Premier League	35	4	1	0	3	1	13	4	—		52	9
	Total		73	11	2	0	4	1	23	4	1	0	103	16
Career total			277	21	13	1	13	1	44	8	4	0	351	31

International Appearances

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2018	3	0
Republic of Ireland	Total	3	0
England	2019	7	0
	2020	6	1
	2021	14	1
	2022	12	0
	2023	9	1
	2024	14	2
	2025	2	0
	Total	64	5
Career total		67	5

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rice goal

List of international goals scored by Declan Rice
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	18 November 2020	Wembley Stadium, London, England	13	Iceland	1–0	4–0	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
2	2 September 2021	Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary	25	Hungary	4–0	4–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	23 March 2023	Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy	40	Italy	1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
4	7 September 2024	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland	59	Republic of Ireland	1–0	2–0	2024–25 UEFA Nations League B
5	13 October 2024	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	62	Finland	3–0	3–1	2024–25 UEFA Nations League B