Rice relishing Spain showdown and says Kane deserved Ballon d’Or

Declan Rice says England are ready to measure their progress against world champions Spain when the sides meet in the Nations League on Sunday.

Spain host England at the Metropolitano in the final match of Group A3. Spain have already secured a place in the quarter-finals and lead the group with 15 points, while England are second on 12 points and have also qualified. Victory would therefore decide who finishes top.

“It is a huge game,” Rice told reporters on Saturday, as reported by Sky Sports. “I do not think there are many bigger games than a Champions League final or a semi-final against Argentina, but when you play Spain, the world champions, it gives you a huge incentive to go out and win.

“That has been the main focus of our conversations throughout the week. We beat Croatia and now we are going to Spain to put in a strong performance, win the game and try to top the group. We will be ready for it tomorrow evening.”

The Arsenal midfielder believes the match will provide an important indication of England’s level, particularly after the team are regularly questioned about their performances.

“Every time we play in an England shirt, there are questions about how we have performed,” he said.

“Our display against Croatia in the last game was acceptable, but we know there is more to give. I think tomorrow’s match will force us to show our best. These are the games you want to play in, against the best teams and the best players, and we have players who perform well on these occasions.

“We certainly need to put in a strong performance and play well tomorrow evening. This game will show the true level of our group.”

Rice was also asked about the possibility of England players being subjected to racist abuse in Madrid. He recalled previous incidents in Montenegro and Bulgaria, where England followed a set protocol and left the pitch.

“I have experienced similar situations before in Montenegro and Bulgaria, and there was a specific protocol that we followed, and we left the field,” Rice said. “We know exactly where we stand as a group on these matters.

“The manager has not spoken about it yet, and I would not be surprised if he addressed it tomorrow, but we know our position very clearly.

“I do not expect anything like that to happen tomorrow evening. It is a beautiful city with a great stadium, and we have a lot of respect for the players we will face. Everything is in place for a wonderful football evening, and we hope nothing spoils it.”

Rice also defended Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or success ahead of Spain forward Lamine Yamal.

“I understand that every Spanish player will, of course, say Lamine Yamal deserved to win,” he said.

“Lamine is an exceptional player and one of the best in the world. He will win many Ballon d’Or awards in the future, but I think Harry winning it this time was the right decision and he thoroughly deserved it.”

Spain won the previous meeting 3-2 at Wembley, with goals from Yamal, Alejandro Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. Anthony Gordon and Kane scored for England.