Rice hails Kane as a generational talent after England's winning World Cup opener

Declan Rice has described Harry Kane as a once-in-a-generation figure in English football after the captain scored twice in England’s opening World Cup group-stage win. The Arsenal midfielder said Kane’s quality comes as no surprise given what he produces daily in training and what he has delivered for both club and country.

“He’s one of those players that you can tell the kids when they’re older that they got to play with Harry Kane,” Rice said. “For me, that’s unbelievable. He’s one of them players that I’m very fortunate to have. One, he’s our captain. But two, how he leads by example every day and how he pushes in training.”

Rice admitted that even as an established international himself, he is not immune to being star-struck by his captain. “It’s not a surprise to me how good he is just because of the goals he scores in training and what he’s been doing at Bayern Munich and what he’s been doing in an England shirt. It’s been an honour to play with him.”

With England’s second group game against Ghana approaching, Rice was quick to stress that the squad’s motivation has not dipped after a positive start. He pointed to the second half of the Croatia match as a new benchmark for the team under their manager.

“We are just as motivated, if not more motivated, to win,” Rice said. “If you look back on the second half, it was probably the best half of football we’ve played under Thomas. That performance was the benchmark now and if we keep playing like that then we will be a match for anyone.”

Rice also acknowledged the personal subplot of facing former Arsenal team-mate Thomas Partey in midfield, warning that Ghana will pose a serious physical and tactical challenge. “They’re going to bring strength and pace. They want to catch us out on the counter attack. So we need to be ready for everything.”

Despite the cautious note on Ghana, Rice was unambiguous about England’s broader ambitions, insisting the squad genuinely believes it can beat any opponent left in the tournament.