Arsenal stars have long made up the backbone of the England team.
Indeed, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are two key members of the England squad, and before that, the likes of Ashley Cole, David Seaman, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Sol Campbell were all key players for the Three Lions.
However, it has been a long time since an Arsenal player was the captain of England. In fact, Arsenal haven’t had an official England captain on their books since Tony Adams.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Glenn Hoddle has been discussing the leadership in the England team, and he says that he thinks Declan Rice will go on to become the England captain, becoming the first Arsenal player to do so in a quarter of a century.
Declan Rice tipped as a future England captain
Hoddle spoke about Rice and his role in this England side.
The pundit reckons that Rice will morph into a leader for England in the coming years, claiming that he does see him as a future England captain.
“That’s exactly what he’s done. I think Declan Rice will be somebody that will morph into that role and into that position. I see him as a captain in years to come because of the position he plays, for England as well,” Hoddle said.
Arsenal players who have captained England
Arsenal are one of the most historic teams in England, but it’s been a little while since we’ve seen a Gooner wearing the captain’s armband for England.
Declan Rice did actually captain England for an hour last year against Belgium, but, beyond that, it’s very rare that we’ve seen Arsenal players fulfilling this duty.
Tony Adams is the last Arsenal player to have been the official England captain, replacing another Arsenal player at the time, David Platt, as skipper.
Alan Ball also had a spell as official England captain in the 1970s.
Beyond that, you’d have to go back to the 1930s and Eddie Hapgood to find the next most recent Arsenal player to have captained England on an official basis.
| Arsenal players who have captained England | Games as captain | Last game as captain |
|---|---|---|
| Declan Rice | 1 | 2024 vs Belgium |
| Sol Campbell | 1 | 2005 vs USA |
| Tony Adams* | 15 | 2000 vs Germany |
| David Seaman | 1 | 1997 vs Moldova |
| David Platt* | 19 | 1996 vs Hungary |
| Alan Ball* | 6 | 1975 vs Scotland |
| George Male | 6 | 1937 vs Finland |
| Eddie Hapgood* | 21 | 1939 vs Yugoslavia |
Rice is a leader, and he has been a successful captain in the past.
Indeed, Rice was the captain of West Ham when they won the Europa Conference League, while Rice has been tipped as a future Arsenal captain too.
Harry Kane is currently the England skipper, but, at the age of 31 after 105 caps, his international career may soon be winding down, and if Thomas Tuchel does need to look for a new captain, he may well turn towards Rice.
