After the two nations drew, Declan Rice revealed his real colors to one of Slovenia’s top players, despite England’s lackluster start at Euro 2024.
Slovenia midfielder Josip Ilicic, who has struggled with mental health concerns for the past five seasons, was contacted by Declan Rice.
The poor 0-0 tie between England and Slovenia during Euro 2024 was mostly due to Rice, a 25-year-old. Despite his likely range of feelings following the match, which included irritation and rage, the player for Arsenal made the extra effort to talk to the midfielder for Maribor.
Ilicic said four seasons ago that he would be taking a mental health leave of absence from football and would return to the game eighteen months later. Ilicic’s performance for Maribor persuaded Slovenian manager Matjaz Kek to send him to Germany.
During the tournament, he made his debut on the field in the draw against England. Rice made a special effort to offer the 36-year-old his support after the game.
“I am sincerely pleased, even today when I entered the pitch a player complimented me and told me that he respects me a lot, this pleases me,” Ilicic remarked following the game. “Everyone is aware of my story.” The player is who? You know an Arsenal midfielder.
Declan Rice, indeed. “It’s hard to describe this feeling, it’s a great thing, especially for us players and all the staff, and most importantly for the fans who came to support us,” Ilicic continued.
“I’m not going to give up, but I was hoping for a finish line like this to prove that I gave it everything I had in order to get this kind of match and outcome.
” The former Atalanta midfielder provided insight into his difficulties in a prior interview. “I was afraid to go to sleep,” he remarked to Sky Italia.
“I believed that I would never see my family again when I woke up in the morning. Recovering was challenging since you have to acclimate to moving and running again, much like a child, when you start from below zero.
Slovenia qualified for the round of 16 stages thanks to their draw with England. In the following round, they take on Portugal, who were just defeated 2-0 by Georgia.
On Sunday, June 30, the Three Lions and Slovakia will square off.
With just one win, two draws, and two goals scored, Gareth Southgate’s team has so far flattered to deceive.
Slovakia, meanwhile, began the competition with a remarkable win over Belgium. However, they lost to Ukraine and drew with Romania after their unexpected success.
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