Declan Rice Bio

Declan Rice has made a meteoric rise through the ranks at West Ham United’s esteemed academy having joined as a 14 year old following his release from Chelsea.

Originally considered to be a central defender, Rice represented Ireland at youth level. Declan Rice was born and raised in Kingston upon Thames, London. His paternal grandparents were from County Cork, in Ireland which is why he qualified to represent the Irish national team.

Declan changed his allegiance from Ireland to England following a discussion with then England manager Gareth Southgate, who was keen to incorporate the West Ham youngster into his set-up.

Originally given his debut under Slaven Bilic it was really Manuel Pellegrini who saw Declan Rice’s potential as a midfielder which is where he has gone on to play the majority of his games.

Rice has developed into a fine midfield player and currently carries a transfer price tag of over £100m, with clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool rumoured to be interested in his transfer from West Ham.

Rice’s contract at West Ham is due to expire in 2025 following the club’s decision to extend the length of the deal by triggering a 2 year option to extend.

The England international tool over West Ham captaincy at the beginning of the 2022 season following the retirement of club legend Mark Noble.