Declan Rice went into Arsenal’sChampions League quarter‑final against Real Madridknowing it was a chance to go to another level. Rise to the occasion against the kings of Europe and people would see the midfielder in a different light. Remember the boy who was kicked out of Chelsea at 14? The tearful one who travelled across London for a trial at West Ham, went on to captain them to their first trophy in 43 years, andleft for £105m? Well, the thing you need to know about him is that he has never been afraid to meet a challenge head on and make people think twice about questioning his talent.
So Rice backed himself when he faced Madrid and left Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric and Aurélien Tchouaméni in the shade by producing man-of-the-match displays in both legs. He droveArsenalon, powering them forward, bending the tie to his will. Madrid, the reigning European champions, could not live with his relentlessness. There was hype around Rice’s duel with Bellingham, but it did not live up to much. There was no debate about who dominated the battle between the two leaders of England’s midfield.
People sometimes misread Rice and play down his ability, describing him as little more than a ball-winner with a good engine. There is a story about Chelsea letting him go because his feet were too slow and he did not turn quickly enough. But someone familiar with Rice’s game and development laughs at that one. He says it is just a way for the old regime at Chelsea to justify their call to release a player who has become one of the best midfielders in the world.
Those who know Rice do not have a bad word to say about him as a player or person. There is only admiration for his perseverance, dedication and desire to keep improving. Sometimes he needs a little push, a few choice words to fire his inner belief, but it is never intended as criticism. One person who speaks to Rice every day keeps telling him he has an extra gear but says: “It doesn’t surprise me that he went to that level against Real. I knew he had it in him.”
Less predictable was the thrilling spectacle of Rice bending two stunning free-kicks beyond Thibaut Courtoisin the first legagainst Madrid. “Everyone was in shock,” a source says. “Even Dec. But it was surprising with his ball striking that he’d never scored a free-kick before. I tell him to shoot more. Be more selfish.”
It is noted that Rice has become more attacking since joining Arsenalin the summer of 2023. He played in a back three when he broke through at West Ham, then established himself as a holding midfielder. As Rice grew in stature, though, he realised he had more to offer. He still protected the defence, but he started to surge forward and began to score more. He became a box-to-box midfielder and was probably even better than Mikel Arteta realised when he brought him to Arsenal.
Arteta’s plan was for Rice to be a No 6 and clean up at the base of midfield. He called him a lighthouse, describing him as a player with the ability to guide his teammates, but soon saw that his new signing was capable of shining in more advanced areas. “He plays very, very high in Arsenal,” Thomas Tuchel, England’s manager, said of Rice last month. “He plays sometimes as a defensive second striker. When they press high he’s sometimes a double striker. He plays in the left 10 pocket.”
Rice has developed into a left-sided No 8 for Arsenal, with Martin Ødegaard to his right and Thomas Partey deeper. An insider puts the change down to Rice’s character and ability to absorb new information. “He’s such a clever footballer. If you look at the best No 8s, then Dec doesn’t score as much Steven Gerrard, but he reminds me of him. If you put Gerrard at right-back he’d be the best player on the pitch because of his legs, brain and mentality. Dec’s like that.”
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This is a player with the perfect team ethic. Rice admires how Arteta is always thinking of ways to make his team sharper. He follows the manager’s instructions. There are games when it seems Rice is holding back and not offering much on the ball. The reality is that Arteta will have told him to help the team get through a difficult game by being more restrained. One of Rice’s great strengths is that he is willing to jeopardise himself in pursuit of victory.
That may be required when Arsenal host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of theirChampions Leaguesemi-final on Tuesday night. Partey is suspended after picking up a silly booking at the Bernabéu, so Rice may be forced to step back and play as a No 6. Alternatives are thin on the ground and Arsenal will need steel against the exceptional midfield trio of João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha.
Winning that battle promises to be tougher than it was against Madrid, but Rice has passed plenty of challenging assignments and nobody should bet against him finding a way to excel again against PSG.