West Ham’s Declan Rice commits international future to England despite three Republic of Ireland caps

Rice was born in London but is eligible to play for Ireland via his grandparents, who hail from Cork

Jack Watson
Wednesday 13 February 2019 17:08 GMT
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Declan Rice has decided to switch allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England
Declan Rice has decided to switch allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England

Declan Rice has chosen to represent England instead of the Republic of Ireland after a long time considering his international future.

The West Ham midfielder represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level and played three friendly matches for the senior squad, but crucially not a competitive game.

In August 2018, Rice began considering the possibility of playing for England and was not included in any further Republic of Ireland squads by then-manager Martin O’Neill.

Rice has impressed while playing in midfield for West Ham and drew praise from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who said that the 20-year-old will have a successful career and club and international level.

Declan Rice has committed his international future to England

Gareth Southgate will name his next England squad to face the Czech Republic and Montenegro and will have Rice available to him following a quick Fifa administrative procedure, although Rice is not taking a call-up for granted.

London-born Rice, who was able to play for the Republic of Ireland due to his grandparents being born in Cork, has called for respect and says he has equal pride for his English and Irish background.

Republic of Ireland confirmed Rice’s decision and manager Mick McCarthy wished him well in a brief statement. "Declan rang me today and said he has decided to give it a go with England. Good luck to him."

In a statement, Rice said it has been an “extremely difficult decision” and said playing for England is best for his future.

Declan Rice’s full statement

This afternoon I telephoned both Mick McCarthy and Gareth Southgate to inform them of my decision to submit a written request to Fifa for the transfer of my international registration from the Republic of Ireland to England.

This has been an extremely difficult decision and, in all honesty, not one I ever expected to be making at this stage of my career. So much has happened, so quickly, in the past couple of years, from progressing through the West Ham United academy to making my Premier League debut at the age of 18 in May 2017 and then being named in a full international squad just two days later.

In recent weeks and months, I have discussed the situation with my parents, my family, my girlfriend and my closest friends. I have also spoken to Martin O’Neill and Mick McCarthy, Gareth Southgate and to friends and colleagues within the game whose opinion I respect. I am truly grateful for the support I have received in leading to this decision.

Like so many people around the world, I consider myself to be of mixed nationality. I am a proud Englishman, having been born and raised in London. However, I am just as proud of my family’s Irish heritage and my affinity and connection with the country.

I have equal respect and love for both England and Ireland and therefore the national team I choose to represent is not a clear-cut, simple selection. Particularly not for a young lad who never dreamed of being in this position.

Ultimately it is a personal decision that I have made with my heart and my head, based on what I believe is best for my future.

I fully accept that some Irish supporters will be disappointed by my decision, and that everyone has different opinions in regard to the rules around international representation. However, I hope that people can understand that I have made this decision with honesty, integrity and the full support of my family.

I would like to thank Mick McCarthy, Martin O’Neill, all of the coaching staff and everyone associated with the FA of Ireland (with special thanks to Mark O’Toole), not only for their support and understanding throughout this period, but for the part they have played in my development as a young player.

My pride at wearing the Irish shirt was always 100 per cent genuine. It was a great honour for myself and my family, and something I will always cherish.

I would also like to make it clear that, in requesting to transfer my national team representation, I am not taking for granted a call-up to the England squad or making any assumption about my future international career. However, out of respect for the Republic of Ireland, I felt it was right to announce this decision now and put an end to the speculation.

I am still only 20 years old and there is a long road ahead for me. For now, my focus remains entirely on establishing myself as a Premier League player with West Ham United and working as hard as possible to improve and be successful.

In football, and in life, I have always tried to be completely honest and true to myself and my family at all times, and that is what I will continue to do.

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