Rice began his professional career atWest Ham United, having been released byChelsea'sacademy, and established himself as a key first-team player by 2017. In 2022, he succeededMark Noble asclub captain, and led the club to aUEFA Europa Conference League title the following year, as well as being named the competition's Player of the Season. After making 245 appearances for West Ham, Rice was signed by Arsenal in July 2023 for a club record fee of £100 million, making him thejoint-most-expensive English player in history.
Eligible to play for England or theRepublic of Ireland, Rice represented the latter internationally at both youth and senior levels prior to 2019. He subsequently changed his national allegiance and made himself available for selection by England. Rice made his England debut in 2019 and has represented the country atUEFA Euro 2020, the2022 FIFA World Cup, andEuro 2024, finishing runner-up in both European Championship editions he participated in.
Early life and career
Declan Rice[8] was born on 14 January 1999[9] inKingston upon Thames, Greater London, where he was raised.[10] His paternal grandparents were fromDouglas, County Cork, in Ireland.[11] He joined theacademy ofChelsea in 2006, as a seven-year-old.[12][13]
On 16 December 2015, two years after joining West Ham United at youth level, Rice signed his first professional contract with the club.[18] Rice received his first call-up to the West Ham senior squad for the games againstSunderland andEverton in April 2017, after impressing in the under-23 team.[19] He made his senior debut againstBurnley on the last day of the2016–17 Premier League season, coming on as a 91st-minute substitute forEdimilson Fernandes in a 2–1 away win,[20][21] five days after captaining the under-23s to promotion with a 2–1 win away toNewcastle United.[22] Hisfirst-team debut came on 19 August 2017 in a 3–2 defeat atSouthampton.[23] In April 2018, Rice was named as runner-up for the 2017–18Hammer of the Year award behindMarko Arnautović.[24]
On 22 December 2018, he made his 50th appearance for West Ham,[25][26] becoming the first player to do so while still a teenager sinceMichael Carrick.[27][28] On 28 December 2018, Rice signed a new contract until 2024 with the option of an additional year.[29] On 12 January 2019, Rice scored his first goal for West Ham and was namedman of the match in a 1–0 win againstArsenal, in West Ham's 50th Premier League game at theLondon Stadium.[30] On 20 April, Rice was named on the shortlist for thePFA Young Player of the Year award, which was eventually awarded to Rice's England teammateRaheem Sterling.[31] At the end of the 2018–19 season, he was named the Players' Player of the Year and won the award for Individual Performance of the Season, for his match winning game against Arsenal, and was named the Young Hammer of the Year for the third-consecutive season.[32]
On 28 December 2019, Rice captained West Ham for the first time, at age 20,[33] in a 2–1 home loss againstLeicester City.[33] He scored his first and only Premier League goal of the season on 17 July 2020, with an outside-the-box strike againstWatford, in a 3–1 win.[34] In the 2019–20 season, Rice played every minute of West Ham's 38 league games. He 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 teammate. He was namedHammer of the Year for the first time in 2020.[35]
On 15 February 2021, Rice scored his first goal of the season[36] when he converted a penalty and put the team in the lead againstSheffield United in a home league win that ended 3–0.[37] In April 2021, having played in all of West Ham's games so far in the2020–21 season, Rice was ruled out for four weeks with a knee injury picked up on international duty with England.[38]
On 16 September 2021, Rice made his European debut and scored his debut European goal in a 2–0 away victory overDinamo Zagreb in theEuropa League.[39]
On 9 May 2022, Rice was named as Hammer of the Year for a second time.[40][41][42] Following 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 teammateCraig Dawson.[43] Following the retirement ofMark Noble in May 2022, Rice was named as captain of West Ham.[44]
On 16 October 2022, Rice opened his goalscoring account for the season,[45] scoring a curling effort from 22 yards (20 m) to secure West Ham a point in a 1–1 draw against Southampton.[46] On 20 April 2023, Rice scored West Ham's third in a 4–1 win in theUEFA Europa Conference League against Belgian sideGent, carrying the ball for more than 50 metres (55 yd) before finishing past Gent goalkeeperDavy Roef, resulting in a goal labelled "perhaps the standout strike of Rice's career" byThe Daily Telegraph.[47]
In May 2023, he was again named Hammer of the Year, for the2022–23 season.[48] On 8 June 2023, Rice was named as the Europa Conference League's player of the season byUEFA as Rice captained West Ham to their first major European trophy since 1965 after a 2–1 win againstFiorentina in thefinal a day prior.[49] During the 2022–23 season, Rice won possession more than any other Premier League player. He also made the most interceptions of all Premier League players.[50]
Rice left West Ham in July 2023, joiningArsenal. He played 245 games for West Ham, scoring 15 goals. He is one of only three West Ham captains, along withBobby Moore andBilly Bonds, to have captained the club to a major trophy.[51][52] West Ham chairmanDavid Sullivan said that the club did not want to sell the player, stating that they wished to build the team around him, but that Rice had made it clear he wanted to move on.[53] Rice said of the transfer: "Ultimately, though, it has only ever been about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game."[54]
On 15 July 2023, Rice signed for Premier League club Arsenal on a long-term contract.[55][56] It was reported that the transfer fee was a club-record initial £100m, potentially rising by £5m, in add-ons, making him themost expensive English player, equalling the previous record held byJack Grealish.[57] The structure of the transfer was given as West Ham receiving £50m immediately and a further £50m in the summer of 2024. They will also receive £1m every time Arsenal qualify for a place in theChampions League during his time at the club and £1m if he plays 60 per cent of games in a season, with those payments capped at £5m.[58]
Rice made his Arsenal debut on 6 August againstManchester City in the2023 FA Community Shield, which Arsenal won 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[59] On 12 August, Rice started in Arsenal's opening match of the2023–24 Premier League season, a 2–1 home win overNottingham Forest.[60][61] On 3 September, he scored his first goal for Arsenal, in stoppage time to grant his team a 2–1 lead againstManchester United in a match which ended in a 3–1 win.[62]
Rice was announced as a nominee forThe Best FIFA Men's Player based on his performances for both London clubs and the national team.[63] On 11 February, Rice scored his first goal against his former club, West Ham United, in a 6–0 victory at London Stadium, which was West Ham's worst home defeat in the league since 1963 againstBlackburn Rovers.[64]
2024–25
On 21 December 2024, Rice came off the bench againstCrystal Palace, scoring and providing an assist to teammateGabriel Martinelli in the 5–1 away rout of theEagles.[65] On 22 January 2025, Rice scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal in 3–0 victory overDinamo Zagreb.[66] On 8 April, he netted two directfree kick goals in a 3–0 home win over reigning championsReal Madrid in the first leg of theChampions League quarter-finals,[67] becoming the first player ever to score two free kicks in a Champions League knockout phase match.[68] On 18 May, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United, securing Arsenal's runner-up finish in the Premier League and qualification for the UEFA Champions League in the following season.[69] Following another successful individual campaign with Arsenal, Rice was voted as theArsenal Player of the Season.[70] He was also selected in theUEFA Champions League Team of the Season by UEFA's Technical Observer Group, and nominated for thePremier League Player of the Season award.[71][72]
On 5 October 2025, Declan Rice scored his first goal of the season against former clubWest Ham United in a 2–0 Premier League home win.[74]
International career
Republic of Ireland
Although born in London, Rice was eligible to play for Ireland as his paternal grandparents are fromCork.[75] On 19 March 2017, Rice was namedRepublic of Ireland U17 player of the year.[76] On 23 May 2017, only days after hisPremier League debut, Rice was named in theRepublic of Ireland squad to play friendlies againstMexico andUruguay and a World Cup qualifier at home toAustria.[77] He made his senior debut on 23 March 2018 in a 1–0 defeat toTurkey.[78]
In August 2018, Rice was omitted from the squad to playWales by managerMartin O'Neill, who said that Rice was considering switching to play forEngland after being approached by them.[79] By November 2018, having been omitted from three squads selected by O'Neill, Rice said he was no closer in deciding whether to play for Ireland or England.[80] In December 2018, Rice met with new Ireland managerMick 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.[81]
On 13 February 2019, Rice pledged his future to England.[82][83] On 5 March, his change of allegiance was confirmed byFIFA.[84] On 13 March, he was called up by England for their forthcomingUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against theCzech Republic andMontenegro.[85] He made his debut on 22 March as a 63rd-minute substitute against the Czech Republic atWembley Stadium.[86]
On 25 March 2019, England managerGareth Southgate handed Rice his first start for the national side during a 5–1 victory over Montenegro.[87] Following Rice's successfulseason, he was handed a place in theEngland squad for the2019 UEFA Nations League Finals.[88] In September 2019, Rice said that he had received onlinedeath threats after switching allegiance.[89][90] He was the first player to play for both countries sinceJack Reynolds in the 1890s.[91] Rice was named in theEngland squad forUEFA Euro 2020.[92] Rice played in all seven games for England at Euro 2020 where they finished runner-up in the final toItaly.[93][94]
Rice was included in the Englandsquad for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[95] He started all five matches as England reached the quarter-finals, losing 2–1 toFrance.[96]
Ahead of his 50th cap for the senior side, it was announced that Rice would captain England for the first time, againstBelgium in March 2024.[97] On 6 June, he was named in England's 26-man squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[98] He started in central midfield in the team's opening match againstSerbia, playing the full 90 minutes as England won 1–0 to go top ofGroup C.[99]
Style of play
Rice plays predominantly as a defensive midfielder and is known for his athleticism and tackling ability. In more recent times, he has begun to build a reputation as a more complete midfielder due to his ball carrying skills and ability to score goals from range, which has seen him be deployed in a more offensive role on occasion as anumber eight.[4][100][101][102][103][104][105] He has also been praised in the media for his passing ability.[106]
Personal life
Rice has been a close friend ofMason Mount since childhood from when they played together at Chelsea's academy.[107] His cousin,Finley Munroe, is also a professional footballer forAston Villa.[108]
In August 2022, Rice confirmed the birth of his first child, a son, with long-term girlfriend, Lauren Fryer.[111] Rice has atattoo of his son's name on his arm.[112] It was reported in 2024 that Fryer had removed posts from herInstagram account after being subjected to abuse fromonline trolls.[113] Rice responded to the abusive comments by stating: "She is the love of my life and I don't need an upgrade."[114]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 23 November 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
.jpg)
.jpg)
_23.jpg)
Iceland
Hungary
Italy
Republic of Ireland
Finland
Andorra
