Despite the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, Declan Rice has waxed lyrical about Harry Kane.
The Arsenal midfielder said in a press conference, "You'll be telling the kids when you're older you got to play with Harry Kane!"
Not only is Rice a current Gunner, but he is also a former West Ham United player. Both clubs are big rivals of Tottenham, but Rice and Kane have not let their club allegiances affect them with England. This has been a problem for the Three Lions in the past. One of the reasons the so-called 'Golden Generation' of the 2000s did not win a major trophy was due to fierce club rivalries.
Gareth Southgate managed to unify the England squad. He came so close to ending the country's trophy drought, getting to the final of two European Championships. Thomas Tuchel has been brought in to finally get the Three Lions over the line.
Kane and Rice never faced eachother in a North London derby
The summer of 2023 was when Kane moved to Bayern from Tottenham. It was the same time that Rice transferred from West Ham to Arsenal. Therefore, they were never direct North London rivals.
Rice has faced Kane in an Arsenal shirt as they have played Bayern three times in the Champions League. Kane's Bayern defeated the Gunners across two legs in the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 season. However, Rice's Arsenal avenged this by beating the German side in the group stage last year.
Kane and Rice also met when they were at Tottenham and West Ham, respectively. Kane's Spurs got the better of Rice's West Ham on six occasions. There were three draws and two wins for Rice's side.
They have played together for England on 69 occasions and have combined for four goals. They both featured in the Euros final losses to Italy and Spain. Also, they were both a part of the England lineup that got to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup. However, they will be looking to finally lift a major international trophy this summer.
Rice is right that he will use the fact that he played with Kane as an anecdote in the future. Kane is a Tottenham and England legend. He is the country's all-time top goalscorer. Kane could also one day be telling kids that he played with Rice. The Arsenal midfielder has just won the Premier League and has established himself as one of the best in the world in his position.
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