Declan Rice was born on the 14th of January 1999, and he is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Premier League club West Ham United and the England national team.
Club career
Youth
The West Ham midfielder was born and raised in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. Research have it that his paternal grandparents were from Douglas, County Cork, in Ireland. And it has been brought to our notice that he grew up in Kingston upon Thames and joined the academy of Chelsea in 2006, as a seven-year-old. In 2014, after his release at the age of 14, he joined the academy of West Ham United.
West Ham United
Just over a year after joining West Ham United at youth level on the 16th of December 2015, Declan Rice signed his first professional contract with the club. The young star received his first call-up to the West Ham senior squad for the games against Sunderland and Everton in April 2017, after impressing in the under-23 team. On a one hand, Declan Rice made his senior debut against Burnley on the last day of the 2016–17 Premier League season, coming on as a 91st-minute substitute for Edimilson Fernandes in a 2–1 away win, five days after captaining the under-23’s to promotion with a 2–1 win at Newcastle United. On the other hand, his full senior debut came on 19 August 2017 in a 3–2 defeat at Southampton.
Statistics also have it that on the 17th of July 2020, Rice scored his first and only Premier League goal of the season, an outside-the-box strike against Watford, in a 3–1 win. In the 2019–20 season, Rice played in all 38 league games for West Ham, playing every single minute. The young star was in the Premier League’s top five players for both tackles and interceptions leading West Ham players in both categories and making more passes than any other West Ham player. He was named Hammer of the Year.
Declan Rice scored his first goal of the season when he converted the penalty and put the team in the lead against Sheffield United in a home league win that ended 3–0 on the 15th of February 2021. However, in April 2021, having played in all of West Ham’s games in the 2020–21 season, Rice was ruled out for four weeks with a knee injury picked-up on international duty with England.
The English midfielder is the vice-captain of West Ham United since 2021. And on the 16th of September 2021, Rice made his European debut and scored his debut European goal in a 2–0 away victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League. Again, Declan Rice was named as Hammer of the Year for a second time on the 9th of May 2022. After West Ham’s Europa League campaign, which saw them reach the semi-final, Rice was named in the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League Team of the Year alongside teammate Craig Dawson.
International career
Republic of Ireland
Despite the fact that Declan Rice was born in London, he was eligible to play for Ireland as his grandparents are from Cork. Authentic research has it that on the 19th of March 2017, Rice was named Republic of Ireland U17 player of the year. On 23 May 2017, only days after his Premier League debut, Rice was named in the Republic of Ireland squad to play friendlies against Mexico and Uruguay and a World Cup qualifier at home to Austria. As a matter of fact, he made his senior debut on 23 March 2018 in a 1–0 defeat to Turkey.
However, Declan Rice was omitted from the squad to play Wales by manager Martin O’Neill, who said that Rice was considering switching to play for England after being approached by them in the month of August 2018. Rice having been omitted from three squads selected by O’Neill in November 2018, he said he was no closer in deciding whether to play for Ireland or England. And as per BBC report, it is claimed that in December 2018, Rice met with new Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and his assistant, Robbie Keane. McCarthy said that Rice was a potential future captain of Ireland and that he would build the team around Rice should he decide to play for the country.
England
According Talksport report, on the 13th of February 2019, Declan Rice pledged his future to England. And on the 5th of March, his change of allegiance was confirmed by FIFA. Declan was called up by England for their forthcoming UEFA Euro 2020 qualification matches against the Czech Republic and Montenegro on the 13th of March, there, he made his debut on 22 March as a 63rd-minute substitute against the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium.
The England manager, Gareth Southgate handed Rice his first start for the national side during a 5–1 victory over Montenegro on the 25th of March 2019. And after his successful season, he was handed a place in the England squad for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. Declan Rice said that he had received online death threats after switching allegiance from Ireland to England in the month of September 2019. The Hammer’s midfielder was the first player to play for both countries since Jack Reynolds in the 1890s. Again, Declam Rice was named in the England squad for UEFA Euro 2020. The 23-year old played in all of England’s seven games in Euro 2020 where they lost in the final to Italy.
Declan Rice Net Worth
The young footballer’s net worth is under review but according to recent reports, as of now in 2022, Declan Rice’s net worth is $1.5 million. In the future, many advertising deals are expected that can bring a significant boost in his net worth.
Declan Rice Salary
In July 1st, 2017 the centre back signed a contract with West Ham United that nets him a whopping salary of 4 Hundred Thousand Euro (3 Hundred and 40 Thousand Pounds) per year. We have crunched the numbers, this means he earns €1,093 (£938) per day and €46 (£39) per hour!
Per year €400,000 £347,826
Per month €33,333 £28,986
Per week €7,692 £6,689
Per day €1,096 £953
Per hour €46 £40
Per minute €1 £1
Honours
West Ham United Reserves
Under-21 Premier League Cup: 2015–16
England
UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2020
UEFA Nations League third place: 2018–19
Individual
West Ham United Young Player of the Year: 2016–17, 2017–18
West Ham United Player of the Year: 2019–20, 2021–22
Republic of Ireland U17 Player of the Year: 2016
FAI Young International Player of the Year: 2018
UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2021–22
In all, one could easily say that in the upcoming years, the young English footballer Declan Rice will be listed among the best footballers in the world. He is a strong, powerful and talented defensive midfielder.