England midfielder Declan Rice has revealed the reason he decided not to celebrate his goal against Ireland and felt fans in Dublin were justified in booing him.
Rice opened the scoring for England in the 11th minute with a first-time shot from inside the area.
However, the Arsenal player raised his hands as if to apologise despite being mobbed by his team-mates.
It was a goal that had been in the making for almost five years when Rice switched his international allegiance from Ireland to England in February 2019.
Prior to the switch, Rice played in three friendlies for Ireland but turned down further call-ups, opting to represent the Three Lions instead.
Rice refused to celebrate after scoring England’s opening goal against Ireland in Dublin
The midfielder finished first inside the area in the 11th minute.
Since then, Rice has played in two European Championship finals and a World Cup quarter-final, opportunities he would not have had had he remained an Ireland player.
But the 25-year-old insisted he would “never” celebrate against the nation he once represented and offered a poignant reason as to why that was the case.
“It was obviously an incredible feeling to score, but I was never going to celebrate it,” Rice told beIN Sports after the game.
‘I have Irish family. My grandmother and grandfather, who are no longer here, I think it would have been disrespectful to them if I had celebrated. My father was here as well.
“Obviously scoring was a nice feeling, but then I wanted to focus on getting back into the game and trying to score more goals.”
Rice’s muted celebrations were in stark contrast to those of his England team-mate and former Ireland youth international Jack Grealish.
Grealish added England’s second goal, but despite representing Ireland at under-17, under-18 and under-21 level, he was only too happy to celebrate his goal.
Irish fans expressed frustration at the pair, booing their every touch while some held flags with Rice’s face alongside images of a snake.
Rice revealed that she did not celebrate because it would have been disrespectful to her family
Despite having previously represented Ireland, Jack Grealish was only too happy to celebrate his goal.
Rice revealed that he and Grealish did not discuss the reception they expected to receive before the game.
But no matter how long it had been since he switched international allegiances, Rice felt Irish fans had every right to react however they wanted.
“I think we’ve seen a lot of things lately,” Rice said.
‘This was six or seven years ago. It’s been a long time. I get on very well with a lot of Irish guys. I haven’t done anything difficult.
“Obviously fans feel a certain way and that’s absolutely fine.”
