After England’s 5-0 thrashing of Latvia in this month’s international break secured their World Cup qualification, Declan Rice—Arsenal and England’s dual-role midfield linchpin—gave an interview to Camel Live, discussing topics related to his personal performance this season and his goals.
When asked about his expectations and targets for next year’s World Cup, the Arsenal midfield core said: “We want to win the title—it sounds bold, but we’re England, and we have world-class players all over the pitch. If we don’t even have this belief, that’s a sign of mental weakness.”
“Every player aspires to lift the World Cup in their career; you’ve seen countless legendary players become great because of this achievement,” added Rice, whose Gunners are currently leading the Premier League standings. “What we need to do now is keep our feet on the ground and move forward step by step.”
Regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League this season, Rice has become an indispensable core for the Three Lions under Thomas Tuchel. Regarding this evaluation, he admitted: “This is indeed the fittest phase of my career so far. When you’re full of confidence in football, everything becomes different. After years of experience, I’m getting more composed in games, and I’m now fully confident in my performances.”
The 26-year-old midfielder, who has now earned 70 caps for England, has grown into one of the dressing room leaders. Rice said: “It took me a few years to adapt to this role. As part of the leadership group, I need to not only give advice to young teammates but also maintain rapport with veteran players—to be a bridge between the two, and do my best to help the team prepare for the World Cup. That’s my mission.”
