Declan Rice has revealed his England debut is his career highlight to date.
Rice is one of few players to have made two international debuts having previously turned out for the country of his grandparent's birth the Republic of Ireland.
Rice first played international football in 2018, when Martin O'Neill handed the then 19-year-old the first of his three non-competitive caps in Irish colours. However, following the 2018 World Cup and watching England make it to the semi-finals Rice chose to switch allegiances to England and made his debut in 2019 against the Czech Republic.
Since then the Hammer has gone on to win 27 caps for the Three Lions but it is the first of those that remains his career highlight.
"[My] England debut," Rice replied to Gary Neville on The Overlap. "It was special, incredible, getting on the pitch you never think it is going to happen and then it did and it was just really really special."
Neville revealed that in his own playing career he believed the players from London relished England duty more than those from the north and asked Rice if that has changed.
"Yes, 100 percent," Rice said. "When I am looking at the lads that we play with and the lads from up north they absolutely love it when we are all together.
"You speak about how no one really got on at the time with obviously that club competition [so] it is great to see now that everyone is really really close."
Rice also admitted that the one stadium he would most like to play in is the Santiago Bernabeu.
Unfortunately for the Hammers midfielder, a trip to Real Madrid's stadium will have to wait this season, although with Barcelona in the Europa League and the competition's final being held in Sevilla a trip to Spain could still be on the cards this campaign.
