England 'traitor' Declan Rice deserves hostile Dublin crowd reaction after Ireland defection
GOALThe midfielder played three times at senior level for the Republic before deciding his career would be better served by switching allegiances
On March 22, 2019, Declan Rice came on as a substitute for England in their Euro 2020 qualifying clash with the Czech Republic at Wembley. It was a momentous occasion for the midfielder, his second senior international debut.
His first had come the year previously for the Ireland, in a friendly in Turkey, and he would earn two more caps for ‘The Boys in Green’ before making himself unavailable for selection for competitive fixtures in the second half of 2018.
Still, Rice, who was just a teenager at the time, had made such a positive first (second and third) impression that he was voted Ireland's Young Player of the Year. Unfortunately, by the time the annual awards ceremony rolled around, on March 17, 2019, he had already controversially defected to England.
The FAI nonetheless felt compelled to "honour the integrity of the voting process" by confirming Rice as the victor but, despite “wishing him well in the future”, revealed that he would not be in Dublin to pick up his prize. Rice will, however, be in the Irish capital on Saturday night – and can expect a belated and bitter backlash to his betrayal.
