Gareth Southgate uses wonderfully patriotic tactic to rally England for Spain final

Declan Rice has shared that England manager Gareth Southgate has been using footage of the nation's iconic sporting moments as motivation for his squad in their bid for history at Euro 2024.

If England defeat Spain in Berlin on Sunday evening, the squad is set to celebrate with a triumphant open-top bus parade through London on Tuesday. And fuelling motivation among the players, Southgate has provided a glimpse into how they can uplift the entire country.

"Gareth put up special moments, like when England won the Ashes and when England won the Rugby World Cup," Rice shared. "He wanted us to get that feeling of how we could impact the nation. And without question, this is a massive moment for our nation - it is a moment in history, it's a chance to create history."

Incredibly, the match will mark Rice's sixty-sixth appearance this season for club and country. Some fans raised concerns about potential weariness from the Arsenal midfielder due to such an exhausting year.

However, the 25-year-old insists he's performing full throttle, remarking: "In the first couple of games, I probably felt more tired than I do now. As the adrenaline kicks in, there's that extra bit of energy, that extra bit of fire.

"We would all run through brick walls to win this game. I know I had a poor game against Denmark (England's second group game) but after that, I've looked more and more like myself. Everyone has gone up a few gears."

While Harry Kane played a significant role in the semi-final victory over the Netherlands, he hasn't quite hit his peak form yet. However, Rice wouldn't trade his captain for anyone else.

"He has got every quality under the sun and, don't forget, he's not just a striker," Rice stated. "He could play in midfield. And the way he leads as England captain is amazing. He deserves to win that trophy as England captain - he deserves to have his name in history."

Rice has previously expressed how the memory of the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy still haunts him, and it's clear he's not even considering a repeat this Sunday.

He declared: "Making back-to-back Euro finals is history in itself for us but we are no longer happy to talk about making finals - we want to win."

A few days ago, Rice had a brief phone conversation with his club manager, Mikel Arteta, who wished him luck. He revealed: "He's Spanish so he would want Spain to win but he has his lads in the England squad. After the semi-final he sent me a message saying 'vamos'. He wished me all the best."

And if Rice is celebrating on Sunday night, he has promised to serenade the nation. He added: "I'd give a rendition of 'Rice, Rice, Baby' to the nation. Hopefully, I can do that."