Declan Rice is riding the crest of a wave. Last Wednesday, the West Ham United captain concluded another season of progression by captaining the club to their first major trophy in 43 years.
Rice is still expected to leave this summer, with the England international eager to test himself in the Champions League (West Ham’s triumph puts them in the 2023-24 Europa League), but what might go under the radar when it comes to the impending departure is his significance to the club’s fans, and cultural status in the game.
Advertisement
A video surfaced on social media following the 1-0 home win over Manchester United last month showing Rice sharing a warm embrace with a young West Ham fan who had waited to see his hero after the game at the London Stadium.
“Don’t cry! Come here, good lad,” Rice said, giving him the match-worn shirt he had previously promised to Manchester United forward and England colleague Marcus Rashford and reducing the starstruck child to tears.
What a hero you are @_DeclanRice thanks so much. If anyone can help me get this signed please as I didn’t have a pen. ⚒️⚒️ @WestHam pic.twitter.com/kVT2RKZaOj
— Micky ⚒ (@Micky62053615) May 7, 2023
Previously, after the West Ham Under-18s swept aside their Arsenal counterparts 5-1 in the FA Youth Cup final on April 25, Rice was seen dancing and celebrating with the youngsters in the changing room at the Emirates Stadium.
he loves it😭 pic.twitter.com/oOanxnccDK
— lily (@xlilywhu) April 25, 2023
These are just a few examples of the 24-year-old’s off-pitch persona — a likeable and charismatic figure who often goes out of his way for fans and team-mates alike.
Off the field, Rice’s commercial presence has soared, too.
He presented the prize for Best Hip-Hop, Grime or Rap Act at The Brit Awards in February and last April teamed up with high-end fashion brand Prada to feature on the cover of Circle Zero Eight magazine. He also featured in leading sportswear retailer Sports Direct’s Christmas TV advert alongside Premier League greats Thierry Henry and Eric Cantona and his childhood friend-turned-England team-mate Mason Mount.
However, admiration for Rice is not limited to West Ham’s east London heartland. Last month, he posted a video to his Instagram story showing him sitting in a car listening to a catchy hip-hop track titled after him.
The song was made by Nigerian artist Odumodublvck (pronounced o-dou-mo-dou-black), produced by the duo of Trill XOE and JohnWav, and was released on streaming platforms on March 24 and accompanied by a music video that appeared on YouTube a few days later.
Advertisement
It immediately went viral, racking up two and a half million streams on Spotify, with the picture accompanying the song showing Odumodublvck donning Rice’s England shirt, and over a million views on YouTube.
[explicit content]
Odumodublvck, whose real name is Tochukwu Ojogwu, was born and raised in Lagos and began making music in 2018.
A self-confessed football fan, he told the Afrobeats Podcast in April: “I watch football. I play football. I play FIFA. I talk about football.” The 30-year-old also revealed why he is drawn to the West Ham skipper, and what influenced him to name what became a chart-topping track after him.
He said: “In the England team, you see players from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, but this guy plays for West Ham, and his position in the national team is solidified. He is a defensive midfielder. A team player. He doesn’t score that many goals, but when it is time to score, he steps up. He hardly ever has a bad game.
“The day before the song dropped, that night I had just come out of hospital — Declan scored that night. It was (an act of) God.
“I messaged him way before the song even dropped and Declan responded. Now we are friends and we text. He said he wants to visit Nigeria. The next time I perform here, he wants to be on stage with me. He sent me a video at three in the morning of him vibing to the song.
“The song has a cultural impact now that the player himself has been associated with it. The club eventually messaged me. They want me to come to the training ground and meet the players and watch a match. Declan did not even know that the club set it up. I have to thank God because I am so grateful.”
The West Ham captain kept his word as a video surfaced on social media after the London club’s Europa Conference League victory last week, showing Rice meeting Odumodublvck in London.
Advertisement
The duo were shown shopping together and then singing and dancing along to the viral hit with the Nigerian artist later placing his famous hat on the midfielder’s head.After the video was posted on Odumodublvck’s Instagram account, Rice later commented on the post saying: “It was only right my brother! A pleasure to meet you.”
DECS DEY ALWAYS SHOW LOVE pic.twitter.com/d4IiOUACNq
— DOG EAT DOG II (@Odumodublvck_) June 10, 2023
When asked about its huge success, Rice told BBC Sport: “It (the song) dropped, and I was just like, ‘Yeah, mad.’
“I think it is the fastest streaming song in Nigerian history and has had like 15 million streams. I am seeing all these people singing my name and having all these Nigerian people commenting. That’s what it is about!
“I’ve got a couple of boys and when we listen to it in the car, we just keep rewinding it!”
Trill XOE revealed his inspiration for creating the track and why they decided to name it after the West Ham star.
He said: “JohnWav sent me the project initially and I already knew from the beat that this song was going to be special. While Odumodublvck was writing, he wanted to make the song really special by mentioning his favourite player. The reaction has been crazy for all of us. It was the number one song in the country and it is currently the number-one hip-hop/rap song.”
DECLAN RICE IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD.
BEST DM.
IRONS IRONS IRONS pic.twitter.com/UYp1wdYLkT
— DOG EAT DOG II (@Odumodublvck_) June 7, 2023
Rice is not the first footballer to have a song named after him, and has now joined an esteemed list of some of the sport’s most celebrated names to have achieved the same feat, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante and Didier Drogba.
JohnWav described his reaction to seeing the England international listening to his song.
Advertisement
He said: “Utibe, a talented producer and friend of the 44DB collective sent me this crazy project file with some insane drums, and as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to flip it and turn it into something special. Trill XOE also did his magic with Odumodublvck in Ghana. Then Odumodublvck started writing. The rest is history and, honestly, the reaction has been insane.
“I knew the song was going to be good, but I never expected it to blow up like this, and seeing Declan Rice vibing to it on social media was just the cherry on top.”
With a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs on the horizon, it is clear that as Rice’s stock grows within the game, his celebrity status and influence seem to be following suit.
(Photo: Odumodublvck)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k25wb2xgZXxzfJFsZmluX2Z%2FcLTOsGSaZaOku6h5zZqknpxdlrO1sdFmm56bnJa7br7InJxmmpWYrq6xjKilnmWfm3q1tMRmmaKfl5rAtXnHoqusZZ%2BbenN8kWxm