Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen have congratulated England’s Lionesses on their historical triumph at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and believe the success can inspire the men to glory at this winter’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly saw Sarina Wiegman’s side defeat Germany 2-1 after extra-time roared on by 87,192 fans at Wembley Stadium – including West Ham United and England men’s internationals Rice and Bowen.
The two Hammers were vocal supporters of the Lionesses throughout the tournament, watching their female counterparts sweep past Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Germany, scoring 22 goals and conceding just two.
Among England’s scorers was the country’s record markswoman Ellen White (pictured, below), a lifelong West Ham supporter who is often found in the stands at London Stadium with her family.
Rice and Bowen shared their pride in the Lionesses following Sunday’s unforgettable victory at the Home of Football, where they were joined by many members of the men’s national team and West Ham Women’s midfielder Kate Longhurst.
“It was top!” Rice confirmed. “It was really good, it was great to be there for the women to sell out the stadium and then to see them win it as well was really, really special.
“I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with them in June when we were in camp at the same time and had talk with them with Kieran Trippier one evening, sharing our experiences at the Euros.
“We spent a lot of time with them after that talk and they were just such down to earth top girls. Obviously we watched them train as well they were so good and you see that with the Women’s Super League now how good the standard is, so hopefully it can keep getting pushed.
“These girls’ lives have now changed forever and they deserve it.”
“It was really good!” Bowen agreed. “You saw the attendance and it was pretty much sold out, and I think that speaks volumes of how far it's come, how much it's grown and how much the country gets behind the national team, whether it be men’s football or women's football It's great to see and to be part of it was really good.
“I think the main message is togetherness. You saw the good luck messages before the game as well how it's brought everyone together even more, because there's a really tight knit group at the national setup.
“From the women's game through different age groups, it speaks volumes of how it's set up and the values of the of the nation and what we believe in.”
Both players believe the women’s success in being crowned European champions, winning the country’s first senior major trophy since Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters inspired the men to FIFA World Cup glory in 1966, can inspire them to do likewise when they head to Qatar in November.
“Obviously we were so close last summer,” said Rice, alluding to England’s men’s defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 final to Italy, “and we know what it takes to get there, and now we’re in the World Cup and we really want to push to win that.
“The girls winning this is a massive step in football and now the next one for us is the World Cup and if we can get our hands on that, then that'd be really special.”
“I was only at my first camp in the summer, so I've never had that tournament experience, but to see the support that was on the show yesterday, of course, it makes you want to be part of that going forward,” Bowen confirmed. “So, I've got that in the back of my mind to be to be going to the World Cup and we'll see what happens.”
