Declan Rice, Arsenal midfielder, sent a message to the critics of the England national team during Euro 2024.
One of the critics was former England international Gary Lineker, on his podcast. His words didn’t sit well with Declan Rice, and the Arsenal midfielder chose to respond.
“I’m not disappointed because I’ve been playing football for a long time, I know how it works. That’s why it doesn’t bother me at all. They are entitled to their opinion. They’re on TV, they say what they want,” he stated.
“I know some of them personally, they’re good guys. But as I said, they’ve been in our position before. Sometimes, before they speak, they need to remember they’ve been in my position, in our players’ position, and didn’t perform well in tournaments,” he retorted.
The Arsenal player highlights England’s leadership in their Euro 2024 group and criticizes the way Southgate’s team’s performance has been analyzed in the media.
“So, I don’t know why we think this (England’s start in Euro 2024) is such a negative thing. We’re talking as if we’re going to be knocked out of the tournament. We’re at the top of the group. We need to stay positive and optimistic,” he lamented.
Finally, Rice called for support for the English players participating in the tournament.
“Our players, like Phil Foden, (Bukayo) Saka, Jude Bellingham… tell them they’re the best players in the world. Make them read that and think: ‘I’m going to go out there and give it my all,’ instead of reading negative comments, getting that in their heads, and thinking they can’t play a certain way.”
“That’s how I think, and I’m sure we have plenty of people who think the same way, which is good,” he concluded.