DECLAN RICE is an England ace who previously turned out for the Republic of Ireland.
The Arsenal ace’s roots are Irish, but he was born in London. Here’s everything you need to know about Declan’s mum and dad, Stephanie and Sean Rice.
Declan was born on January 14, 1995, in Kingston Upon Thames.
His father, Sean, was born in London after his parents emigrated from County Cork, Ireland.
Although Declan plays for Arsenal, his father Sean is a massive Chelsea supporter.
His dad encouraged him to play football and became his agent in 2020.
Due to his Irish heritage, Declan played for Ireland’s youth teams from 2015-2018, winning 17 caps from Under-17 to U21 level.
He then made his senior debut in 2018, earning three caps.
However, in 2019 Declan switched his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England.
Speaking about the transfer, Declan’s dad said: “I’m very Irish, my mum and dad were very Irish and Declan grew up in an Irish/English environment as a lot of people from London do.
“And so at the end of the day he had to make a choice and I have to support my son.”
Declan posted a statement about his transfer on Instagram that said he has “equal respect and love for both England and Ireland”.
He said that, ultimately, he made the decision based on what he believes is “best for my future”.
Stephanie and Sean have chosen to keep much of their personal life private, but Declan sometimes shares a snap of his parents on social media.
Although they have not confirmed when they got married, the couple have been together since before Declan was born.
Declan credits his mum with creating a close-knit family environment that encouraged him to pursue his passions.
Like her husband, Stephanie is also of Irish descent but was born and raised in London.
Stephanie and Sean have three children – Conor, Jordan and Declan.
The footie star is the youngest and regularly posts pics with his brothers on Instagram.
He credits his brothers with helping to get him into football and driving him to be the best he can.
One of his brothers made headlines in 2023, when he teased Declan transferring from West Ham to Arsenal.
Declan is a now a parent himself as his partner, Lauren Fryer, gave birth to their son Jude in 2022.
