Declan Rice is now a firm fixture at the heart of an England side pushing to end the year as World Cup winners - but it was not always clear whether that would be the case.
After he switched his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland, and as a player from a club outside of the traditional ‘big six’, there were many doubts and question marks around his potential in an England shirt.
Tuesday marks three years to the day since Rice earned his first England first cap - coming off the bench in a win over the Czech Republic - and those doubts have now been firmly banished.
The 23-year-old has had to overcome hurdles, whether it be public criticism from pundits or an early runaround by a dynamic Netherlands midfield at the Nations League in Portugal.
The criticism, most prominently from Roy Keane when he questioned almost every facet of Rice’s game early in his England career, was not simply brushed off, but taken on board and addressed.
Rice works tirelessly with people close to him - family and former West Ham youth coaches - to improve areas of his game that have been highlighted. Whether it be questions over his suitability to the big stage having come from West Ham or his ability on the ball, Rice has answered questions with his performances.
A delayed Euro 2020 aided Rice’s development in international football. A shining performance during a 2-0 over Belgium in October 2020 went a long way to convincing Rice - and those on the outside - that he could mix it with the best in Europe.
It was at Euro 2020 the following summer, though, where the midfielder became an established figure on the international scene.
Rice started every one of England’s games at the tournament and grew with each fixture, forging a wonderful partnership with Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips. So effective were they together that David Moyes moved to try to sign Phillips for West Ham in the January transfer window.
England’s historic 2-0 win over rivals Germany in the last-16 is perhaps a microcosm for the pathway Rice’s career has taken with the Three Lions.
It was a hugely nerve-wracking afternoon for all involved. The first time Rice had experienced this sort of occasion and his first time facing the likes of Toni Kroos. That showed early on. Rice lost the ball after five minutes and was booked for a foul on the edge of the England box 60 seconds later.
From there, however, he was a different animal.
Despite being on a yellow card, Rice harried the German players off the ball while barking orders at his England team-mates. In possession he was sharp, progressive and positive. It was a fine display of the composure and calm Rice credits Gareth Southgate for adding to his game.
It was a monumental effort - one which saw him squirming on the floor with cramp as Harry Kane steered in England’s second goal.
“He’s been a leader, a real tower, Declan Rice,” said Guy Mowbray on commentary as Rice made way with minutes to go.
“So many people have written us off or doubted us or had things to say about us that weren’t very nice,” Rice said afterwards.
“As players you read those things, park it in the back of your mind and go and and try to prove people wrong.”
The player who was let go by Chelsea at 14 had set his stall out at the highest level and would not look back.
England may have lost in the final against Italy but Moyes and his staff at West Ham say privately that they saw a different, more confident player return to them after that summer.
Rice was learning to handle the spotlight through that tournament. He deleted Twitter from his phone following the 0-0 draw with Scotland in order to stay away from the waves of negativity on social media, and again set about proving people wrong. He felt ready to return to the platform after that Germany performance.
Stuart Pearce, the England legend and West Ham coach, has often talked Rice through the big games in his career and how to handle the pressure that comes with being an England player at a major tournament.
There were daily FaceTime calls with Mark Noble throughout Euro 2020, in which his close friend and father figure from club level would talk through every game and discuss where things could be improved, with Noble having already gone through everything with Rice’s dad, Sean.
Rice has continued to grow as a player this season. As adept at driving a team forward on the ball as stopping opponents off it, he has shone for West Ham on their run to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Now the burning question is how far he can go with England.
