During Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw between England and Belgium, Declan Rice celebrated receiving his 50th cap with a party hosted by Harry Styles and James Corden.
The Arsenal player received the captain’s armband for the Wembley friendly as a reward. According to Rice, this left him “speechless.”
Rice claimed that he “stood up, shook his hand, gave him an embrace, and said “thank you so much” when Gareth Southgate informed him that he would be captaining the team against Domenico Tedesco’s squad.
He has placed his faith and trust in me since I joined the squad,” Rice remarked.
And since they had cause to rejoice, Styles and Corden, who is a huge supporter of West Ham, decided to enjoy the evening in style.
The three of them left early the following morning after partying until four in the morning at the popular A-list hangout Chiltern Firehouse. Jordan Henderson and James Maddison, two of their international teammates, attended the celebration as well.
Jude Bellingham was also present, having scored an equalizer in the last seconds to save England’s face after the Three Lions had been behind for the most of the match. Over the traces of a night on the tiles beneath his eyes, he donned sunglasses.
Styles didn’t want to be captured on video, so he fled into a waiting car. Maddison, Bellingham, and the rest took their time leaving the boite in Marylebone and heading home.
The youngster likely received some criticism from the ardent Manchester United supporter for not moving to Old Trafford in the summer of last year. Instead, he signed a remarkable £105 million contract with Arsenal, who were vying for the championship.
Before the game, fellow former Hammer Frank Lampard presented Rice with a pair of specially crafted Adidas boots in addition to a celebration in his honor.
From 1999 to 2014, Lampard, an English player, scored 29 goals in 106 appearances while playing for his country. Before the game, he met Rice with Adidas to present him with a unique set of footwear.
The Adidas Copa boot’s design was inspired by the English flag and the country’s red, white, and blue hues. The shoe’s side also had a unique slogan every 50 goals.
Lampard spoke briefly to the Arsenal player and congratulated him for scoring the crucial goal before handing Rice the boots.
“Don’t make this accomplishment seem small,” he said to Declan. “Getting 50 caps is a big deal because every child who plays football as a child aspires to play for their country.”
“As he and this young team prepare for the Euros, I’m excited to see what the summer holds.”
Rice acknowledged that these thoughts were valid and went on to say, “It is a huge accomplishment for me to reach this milestone.”
Getting 50 caps is incredibly wonderful because people who know me well understand how important it is for me to play for my nation. I can’t wait to take the field in my new boots to commemorate the occasion.
After Raheem Sterling, Wayne Rooney, and Michael Owen, Rice is the fifth-youngest player on the national team to attain this milestone at the age of 25.
However, the player could not secure a win as he neared fifty because England fell behind twice and had to work hard to earn a late draw.
Youri Tielemans of Aston Villa was the first player to get past England’s defense and score, doing so in the 11th minute. Ivan Toney, making his full appearance, then tied the game with a penalty kick.
England fell behind after Tielemans scored his second goal, a brave flying header that went in off of a well-hit cross from Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan from Chelsea.
In order to prevent England from losing their second straight Wembley match, Bellingham had to wait until the fifth minute of extra time. Young Real Madrid star Endrick scored the lone goal in a 1-0 loss to Brazil on Saturday.
There were some positive developments, despite the fact that England lost their final few friendlies prior to the European Championship this summer. For instance, teenage Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo made his debut for his country, and Jarrod Bowen and Toney, who play for Harry Kane, had a successful evening.
After the game, Southgate remarked that it was almost odd how confident the 18-year-old player appeared.
The boss said, “Kobbie gave us something different from a creative point of view.”
“His skills are clear for all to see: he can handle pressure, ride challenges, and move the ball around in tight spaces.” He did a great job, and we can’t believe how young he is.