DECLAN RICE GIVES POWERFUL MESSAGE ABOUT ENGLAND’S HOPES AT WORLD CUP
Declan Rice says England "want to win" the 2026 World Cup, insisting it would be a "weak mentality" not to believe they can. The Arsenal midfielder is in the form of his life and feels like a senior leader for the Three Lions.
On Tuesday night, a man posing as a representative of a Baltic sports agency entered the mixed area of the Daugava Stadium and began yelling a variety of strange enquiries about the "Latvian lads" at Declan Rice while he was standing and speaking to reporters.
Rice waited for the man to be taken away before continuing as if nothing had occurred, blinking back the questions with a wide, if slightly perplexed, smile. That is what rice excels at. Nothing seems to change his style because he has become such a skilled and calm player.
After England crushed the host team 5-0 in Riga to secure their qualification for the World Cup next summer, he paused to consider his expectations for the competition. He made good word choices, but perhaps he was afraid of being accused of being overconfident.
He declared, "We want to win it." "That will be a bold statement, but we are England, and we have players of the highest calibre everywhere on the pitch."I believe that we would have a weak mentality if we did not think that way.
"Everyone wants to win the World Cup; it would be amazing to have it in our career." Many of the world's top players are visible, and you can see how important winning is to them. It is just about building to that moment; there is still a long way to go.
As Arsenal gets ready for their matchup with Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday night, Rice is enjoying a great season at the centre of their midfield and has helped them win the Premier League. He is one of the first names on Thomas Tuchel's teamsheet, and he is publicly regarded by some as the best midfield player in the division.
Declan Rice has called on England to have complete faith in their ability to win the World Cup the following summer.
Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions defeated Latvia 5-0 to earn a spot in the competition.
The Arsenal player has made a name for himself as a leader in the England squad.
At this point in the season, Rice remarked, "I feel probably the fittest I have ever been." I simply feel so powerful. One of the most important things in football is having confidence. For the past few years, I have felt very secure in my abilities.
I also have more self-assurance in the group. I now feel like a senior member of the England team. I believe it took me a few years with this England squad to reach that point, but for me, tonight was cap 70. That is why it is moving so fast. You know, I am still only 26.
All I have to do is keep playing well and keep moving forward. The boys ask me for my thoughts. I am in the leadership group, I have a close relationship with the younger people here, and I obviously get along well with the older guys. Bridging the gap between the two is a good idea. As we prepare for next summer, I simply want to do everything in my power to support the team.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.