Declan Rice will have plenty of players – past and present – running through his thoughts when he leads England out as captain for the first time on Tuesday night.
As well as reaching a half-century of caps, Rice will also wear the armband at Wembley in what is England’s final friendly before manager Gareth Southgate names his squad for Euro 2024.
While he has never captained his country, Rice was West Ham skipper as they won the Europa Conference League last season – his final game before a club-record £105million move to Arsenal followed.
He has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League this season as the Gunners push for the Premier League title and prepare for a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
Rice, 25, follows in the footsteps of England’s World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore – who was at West Ham at the time of the 1966 success – and also pointed to the influence of his former Hammers skipper Mark Noble and current Arsenal leader Martin Odegaard.
“I’ve just got to think about everyone along the way who helped me,” he said. “I’ve had one of the best captains in Mark Noble. He’s already text me and I think he’ll be coming to the game tomorrow night.
“People like that, I’ve learned so much from both as a player and person, captain and leader.
“Then when I come to England, seeing players like Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson and how they are around the group. You pick up little things from everyone. And when I got to captain West Ham, I was growing in confidence and as a leader.
“I still see myself going that way. There is Martin Odegaard at my club. I’m not thinking about it, but if anything were to ever happen to him, I really would love to put the armband on for Arsenal.
“I love leading and being captain. It’s a real honour.”
Asked about the links to Moore, Rice added: “Having 10 years at West Ham has shaped me into the person I am today, no doubt.
“It’s a real honour you know. There’s only been a certain amount of people that have captained England. It’s a one-off game, but to be able to put the armband on, it will be really special.”
Rice admitted giving the pre-match team talk would be the part of the evening he looked forward to the least.
“That’s the worst bit! Harry always speaks, then the other night it was (Kyle) Walker,” he added.
“(Kieran) Trippier before – when he was captain – did a funny speech and messed it up and everyone started laughing so I know there is going to be a bit of pressure on me.
“But I’ll keep it short and sweet before the game…make sure everyone’s on it and make sure everyone knows what’s at stake tomorrow night.
“We obviously lost the other night to Brazil at Wembley but now it’s another chance to go out and win a game of football and you don’t ever want to lose two games in a row, especially as England.
“So it’s going to be a big night, so it’s just about relaying that message. We have to start fast and we have to win the game.”
While Rice will no doubt have his full attention on captaining England, Arsenal travel to Manchester City on Sunday in a game which could go a long way to deciding the destination of the Premier League title.
Rice may be fully aware of the gravity of the Easter Day clash – but it does not seem to have resonated with England team-mate and City defender John Stones.
“The first day I came I saw John Stones and he didn’t even know they were playing us next,” he revealed.
“When he’s away from football he likes to be with his family and switch off and I get that, he likes to take one game at a time.
“I said ‘big game next’ and John said ‘who are you playing’? I said ‘we’ve got you lot’! He said ‘oh yeah’. That tells you how much we speak about it when we’re here.
“With Walks (Kyle Walker) he always has a little bit of banter, he’s a great lad. As lads, we have a bit if banter but inside us we know what a big game it’s going to be, a potential title-decider, it’s going to be really tight.”
Dortmund have flown under the radar to reach Champions League final, says Terzic
Borussia Dortmund have benefited from going under the radar during their "unbelievable road" to the Champions League final, according to head coach Edin Terzic.
The Black and Yellow will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the showpiece on June 1, following a hard-earned 2-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain in the last four.
Dortmund came into this season on the back of a bitter Bundesliga title loss on the final matchday of the previous campaign, with a 2-2 draw against Mainz handing the title to Bayern on goal difference.
While Terzic's side have been unable to launch a genuine challenge on the domestic front this term - currently occupying fifth place and 24 points adrift of newly crowned champions Bayer Leverkusen - it has been a different story in Europe.
"There is always a team that no one has on their radar that reaches the quarter-finals or the semi-finals," he said. "We wanted to be the team that were not necessarily on anyone's radar. That road has been unbelievable."
Indeed, it has. Dortmund began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at PSG and goalless draw at home to Milan, but recovered to top Group F before seeing off PSV and Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
The 1997 Champions League winners then produced a defensive masterclass across both legs of their semi-final with PSG, to reach their first final since 2013.
"After the second matchday, almost no one believed in us any more," said captain Emre Can, who made his 50th Champions League appearance during the second leg at Parc des Princes.
"We only had one point after two matches, but we kept believing and that was the most important thing. Keeping two clean sheets in two matches against PSG is no mean feat."
Mbappe admits 'I didn't do enough' following PSG's Champions League exit
Kylian Mbappe shouldered the blame for Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, which saw them exit the Champions League semi-finals 2-0 on aggregate.
Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG at the end of the season, was unable to inspire the Ligue 1 champions as they fell short in their latest quest to land the European crown.
The France captain registered a game-high three shots on target and 12 touches in the opposition box during the second leg at Parc des Princes, but his tally of just 51 touches overall was the second-lowest recorded by any PSG player.
And the 25-year-old admitted he should have made a more significant contribution towards his team's cause.
"I tried to help my team as best as I could, but I didn't do enough," he said. "I'm the guy who should score goals and be decisive. When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow.
"That's not a problem. The first one who should have scored tonight was me. That's life, and we have to move on - me and the team."
PSG enjoyed the lion's share of possession (69.5 per cent) during the second leg and registered four times as many shots as their opponents did (30 to seven), hitting the woodwork four times.
"In decisive Champions League matches, when you're not effective in both boxes, it's difficult to get through to the next round," Mbappe added. "Even more so when we're talking about a final.
"We're certainly disappointed, but it's not all doom and gloom. We need to build on that and keep working, because I'm sure we'll get there."
Luis Enrique 'proud' of PSG despite Champions League semi-final exit
Luis Enrique expressed his pride at the efforts of his Paris Saint-Germain side, despite their Champions League exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
The Ligue 1 champions were knocked out in the semi-finals on Tuesday after a 2-0 aggregate loss to the Bundesliga giants, having hit the woodwork six times over the two legs - making it a record tally of 14 for the campaign - and managed 31 attempts at Parc des Princes.
PSG missed a golden opportunity to reach their second Champions League final, but it is not all doom and gloom after a season of transition with a new coach.
The Ligue 1 title is already in the bag with three matches remaining, and they have a Coupe de France final showdown with Lyon to come later this month.
"We were not inferior over the two legs, but football rewards those who score - not those who hit the woodwork," Luis Enrique said.
"My goal was to be fighting for all the titles. Tonight I'm proud of my team, of all the players."
PSG have now lost all six legs of their three two-legged Champions League semi-finals, after double defeats against Milan in 1995 and Manchester City in 2021.
The year they reached the final, in 2020, they beat RB Leipzig in a one-off semi-final after COVID-19 disrupted the season, before losing out in the final to Bayern Munich.
This season started with a new coach in Luis Enrique and without Lionel Messi and Neymar, as club president Nasser al-Khelaifi put an emphasis on building a team over individual talents.
While not always brilliant, PSG have looked like an organised outfit and the coach said he was already working on building a team without Kylian Mbappe, who is widely expected to leave at the end of the campaign.
"The players and coach gave their all," Al-Khelaifi said. "Congratulations to Dortmund, we deserved better. It's a tough game. I'm proud of my team, the youngest in Europe.
"We've reached the semi-finals three times in five years. That's not our objective; it's still the final. That's soccer; you have to accept it and sometimes it's not fair. We'll accept it."
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