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Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice has expressed deep admiration for his international teammate Harry Kane, describing it as a true "honour" to share the pitch with the prolific forward. The energetic midfielder spoke about how Kane plays a crucial role in maintaining high standards within the England squad as the Three Lions push to secure a place in the World Cup knockout stages.

Captain closing in on a historic record

The England team are gearing up for another key group stage encounter following their thrilling 4-2 opening win against Croatia. In that victory, 32-year-old captain Kane scored twice, bringing his tally level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals. When he steps out against Ghana on Tuesday, the striker will make his 116th senior international appearance, surpassing David Beckham to move into third place outright on England’s all-time men’s appearance list.

‘It has been an honour’

Rice highlighted how privileged the current generation of players feel to play alongside someone of Kane’s calibre. He said: “For me, he’s one of those players you’ll tell your kids about one day – that you had the chance to play with Harry Kane. That’s how special he is. He’s one of those players.”

“I’m very fortunate. First, he’s our captain, but also the way he sets an example every single day, the way he pushes in training. It’s no surprise to me how good he is – you see it in the goals he scores in training, what he’s done at Bayern Munich, and what he continues to do in an England shirt. It’s been an honour to play with him. I’m very lucky to share the pitch with a striker like him.”

Team determined to maintain motivation

The Bayern Munich forward has used his leadership to keep the team focused and avoid complacency after their strong start. Rice shared that Kane reminded the group about a familiar pattern from previous tournaments – at Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup, and Euro 2024, England followed opening wins with frustrating draws in their second matches.

He added: “We are just as motivated, if not more, to go out there and win. Harry spoke about it earlier – in the last couple of tournaments, we’ve drawn the second game. We want to go out full throttle, ready from the first whistle, because we know how important that can be.”

Knockout qualification within reach

Thomas Tuchel’s side now face a determined Ghana team in Foxborough, Massachusetts, knowing that a win will confirm their progress to the next round. The African side, guided by experienced coach Carlos Queiroz, are known for their physicality and organisation, but England will enter the contest in strong attacking form. Securing all three points, along with a favourable result for Croatia in their match against Panama, would mathematically confirm top spot in Group L before the final round of fixtures.