Chinese fans have gone crazy for Declan Rice after he joined a social media site – and introduced himself to fans as "your favourite rice".
The England ace, 27, posted a highlight package on Chinese social network Rednote with a video message to fans ahead of the World Cup. He said: "Hi, this is Declan Da Mi (rice in Chinese) here. Your favourite rice is going to be on Rednote. Give me a follow."
The post had attracted thousands of comments from fans, including one who told him: "We all love Rice." Another quipped: "Rice, Rice, baby."
Declan Rice has taken Chinese social media by storm
View 4 Images
Declan Rice has taken Chinese social media by storm(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
One fan wrote: "Let's go Three Lions. Bring the championship home." Others replied with selfies they had taken with the Arsenal midfielder, who helped guide his side to their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Another said: "Rednote is so great, even someone like me who doesn't really watch football can see the handsome guys in the World Cup."
Rice is the latest footie star to sign up the social media site. But not everyone was enamoured. One user asked: "Why have they all flooded in recently?" To which someone replied: "Just trying to ride the World Cup hype."
Rice is huge in China
View 4 Images
Rice is huge in China(Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Rice, who first posted five days ago, followed his initial video up with a photo gallery from the Premier League title celebrations and photos from England's 3-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica in Florida, in which he scored the opening goal.
And fans were quick to remind him to apply sun cream after he was one of several Three Lions stars left looking bright red in his official photo ahead of the tournament. One said: "Stay protected from the sun and don't get burned."
Rice admits he found it difficult to adjust to the sunshine and weather after turning up in Florida at England's pre-tournament base and admitted he got a ticking off from his mum for getting sunburnt.
Rice scored in England's 3-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica
View 4 Images
Rice scored in England's 3-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica(Image: Dave Shopland/Shutterstock)
In another video, he promotes a car and refers to himself as "Da Mi", which means Rice in Chinese. It is common for Western celebs to have a nickname in China.
They include Mariah Carey, who is known as Cow Sister, a name that compliments her talent. The Chinese word for cow is a slang word for "awesome" and is used in her name to refer to her vocals skills.
Taylor Swift – who is known as méi méi, which literally means "unlucky" or "moldy" – due to her bad luck in love and struggle to get her hits to the top of the Billboard chart early in her career. And Jennifer Lopez is known as luó bà, or "Lord of Butt".
Join Gold Star!
Gold Star is the latest chapter in the evolution of the Daily Star. Our ‘premium’ digital service has launched, offering you even more of our brilliant journalism but with even fewer adverts.
And if you do, this is what you’ll get:
- A new ad-lite subscription service offering unlimited access to Gold Star and our app, as well as a cleaner viewing experience with far fewer ads
- Access to exclusive subscriber-only articles crafted specifically for readers who want their stories to dig a little deeper. This will include unique insight from our writers alongside thought-provoking comment
- Bespoke special offers, rewards and competitions from our partners
- Access our Gold Nuggets, the juiciest picks from the Daily Star - no digging required!
- The most fun you can have with a daily news brand anywhere in the world!
Membership starts at £1.99 a month or £12 for the year. These are both Gold Star launch offers for the next 12 months so make sure you don’t miss out.
Click on this article to subscribe