Declan Rice appeared to confirmed the birth of his first child with partner Lauren Fryer by revealing a tattoo dedicated to a newborn boy during West Ham United's Premier League defeat on Sunday.
The England international prompted speculation that he welcomed a son, named Jude, with his long-term girlfriend earlier this month by exposing a tattoo of the child's name and birth date - August 7.
Jude's star-sign, Leo - characterised as a symbol of self-confidence and attractiveness - also featured within the delicate inking on West Ham captain Rice's lower left arm.
However it wasn't enough to inspire the footballer and his beleaguered team to a much needed win, with their 2-0 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion leaving them bottom of the Premier League.
Six days earlier the inking was covered by bandaging - a common practice with fresh tattoos - during West Ham's loss to newly promoted Nottingham Forest.
Rice, 23, has been romantically involved with Fryer for the last six years, but the couple prefer to conduct their relationship away from the public eye.
Despite a preference for privacy, the couple let their hair down during a rare public appearance at the Reading Festival in 2021.
They were pictured rubbing shoulders with notorious former Oasis hellraiser Liam Gallagher following his headline performance at the annual event.
Rice had previously admitted that his long-term girlfriend is jealous of his bond with Chelsea ace Mason Mount - a childhood friend from their time together at the west London club's academy.
He told The Sun: 'My missus is quite worried. I’m genuinely being serious. She’s quite worried.
'Oh she’s just always: "You two . . . you love him more than you love me". Honestly. We just get it in the neck all the time. But they need to understand the friendship.'
Rice will be hoping to form a connection with Mount for England this winter, with both almost certainties for Gareth Southgate's England squad ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
The player currently has 32 caps after opting to play for England instead of the Republic of Ireland - who he was eligible to represent through his grandparents - in 2019.
Prior to his England debut Rice had won three Republic of Ireland caps, although they came through friendly matches, making him eligible to switch allegiances.
