The midfielder who has seen a quick rise to fame for club and country is Declan Rice. He has made it hard not to watch in on his situation, especially the one involving his decision in choosing England as his national team.
The West Ham youngster who’s had a tough time on deciding his future has finally made a decision. A resolve that had to be made on whether he will remain an English international or a Republic of Ireland international had to be made.
After much thought and debate with both coaches from both senior international teams, Declan Rice eventually chose the Three Lions. For any player who’s been in the young man’s shoes, has found no joy in such weighing and demanding alternatives. We’ve seen some of the best from Britain stuck in similar dilemmas and most of them chose the same path Rice has.
Ambitions versus loyalty
The two things always in a head-to-head battle is your ambition and loyalty. Most players when following their ambitions get labelled as glory hunters or money merchants. Others who play the loyalty card get named world-class beaters, who never saw gold.
There is just no winning with these 50/50 splits and no matter what your preference is, there are always going to be haters. With Declan, he had to choose between being loyal to the Republic of Ireland and his ambitions with England.
"Based on what I believe is best for my future". That's all that matters @_DeclanRice! I know some of my Irish friends are hurting but you just do you. Love and maximum respect. https://t.co/o7xJmG5TT6
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) February 13, 2019
He bit the bullet and chose an ambitious international career. For him and many other British players, it’s quite hard to turn down Gareth Southgate and what he is doing with the Three Lions. The side has shown so much promise since the Russia World Cup 2018, it’s hard not to want to join in on the cause.
The amount of youngsters the England manager has adopted in his team has made it easier for younger players such as Rice to make these type of decisions. What makes it even better for Rice, he never shied away behind his phone or behind closed doors after his pick. He came out publicly to state his case and let the world know why is doing what he is doing.
At the end of the day, this is Declan’s footballing career and not anybody’s watching in. Trophies are a major part in footballers’ lives, and the Republic of Ireland hasn’t shown they are anywhere near to England in regards to major honours.