‘I didn’t know who he was!’ - Declan Rice wants Chesney Hawkes to reach no1 after England World Cup impact

Declan Rice wants pop singer Chesney Hawkes to reach no1 in the charts again after he sang ‘The One and Only’ at half-time in the 3-0 win over Wales.

The one-hit wonder met the Group B winners after the match at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, where he wore an England shirt with Rice’s name and number on the back.

The West Ham midfielder admitted he didn’t know who Hawkes was but did know his song and is willing it to return to no1 after hearing of his impact.

He also thinks that Hawkes could become the team’s lucky mascot as they prepare to face Senegal in the last-16.

“We have got to get him to the games, we won one comfortably with him there so we will get him singing ‘The One and Only’ at every half-time and hopefully we will get him back to number one as well,” Rice said at England’s Al Wakrah training base on Thursday.

“I knew the song but I actually didn’t know who he was – that is me speaking honestly.

“After he has a really familiar face, it is funny because I walked into the changing room and one of the kit men told me Chesney Hawkes was outside with my shirt on – I was like ‘I don’t know who he is!’

“Then I saw he had the Rice shirt on and after the game I went and spoke to him and gave him a hug and I heard he performed at half-time and it was really good so yeah, me and Chesney are pals now!”

Wales v England FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar | Group B Match | 29th November 2022

Like Hawkes, England manager Gareth Southgate was praised for his half-time impact by switching Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden to opposite flanks before they scored the goals to defeat Wales in the second half.

Southgate missed Hawkes on Tuesday night due to his media duties but called the following day to congratulate him for his performance in Qatar.