Declan Rice wants England to follow Lionesses’ example | OneFootball

Declan Rice has spoken about taking inspiration from the Lionesses’ Euros victory in 2022 as England prepare for their Euro 2024 final.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY: England player Declan Rice in action during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Denmark and England at Frankfurt Arena on June 20, 2024. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

England take on Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday evening, and Arsenal’s Declan Rice is likely to be starting the match for Gareth Southgate’s side.

Rice also started England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy three years ago, and he’s looking to try and go one step further by winning the competition this time around.

In between the two finals, Rice watched on as the England Women won the Euros in 2022, and he says he wants the men to replicate that achievement.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY: Declan Rice of England reacts during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Denmark and England at Frankfurt Arena on June 20, 2024. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

“It would mean everything,” Rice told a press conference of a potential England victory. “We see when the women’s team won it, what it meant to them, what it meant to the nation.

“I’m lucky enough now to see a lot of the girls who are in the Arsenal squad and to this day they still speak about it.

“That’s what we want now as a men’s team. We want to win, we want to make the nation proud. We want to make the fans proud.

“It’s a chance to create our own little bit of history. We’re ready.”

England’s Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and teammates celebrate with the fans after the UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16 football match between England and Slovakia at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 30, 2024. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Rice has already had a busier tournament than he did at the last Euros, playing 600 minutes compared to his 538 in 2021. Sunday’s final is only likely to add to that.

The midfielder’s one goal contribution at the tournament was an assist for Bukayo Saka in the quarter-finals, though he’s gone close to a goal with a couple of long-shots.

Another assist for Saka to secure a win on Sunday would be the ideal way for the Arsenal duo to help England to the first major trophy of their lifetimes, and the first in almost 60 years.