The shadows of Declan rice would haunt the real madrid crew in their nightmare for months to come. In both ties that he bent to his balance, vision, charisma and ledership, he was the dead end madrid repeatedly ran into.
One minute, he was the unbudging defense screen, blocking, muscling and thwarting their programs in nasnce; The next second condom, dictating the rhyme and rhythm, the man with a compass in his head to thread the most precised pass to break madrid’s midfield lines. As thought he had deployed an army of looking locals assembled from wilko, he is bouncing near the byline, slipping a cute pass into the path of False nine mikel merino. Or slittering to snatch the ball off the forward’s feet in the opposite box. Wherever they gazed, they can just see the muscular frame of rice, his unsoiled shirt despite the work-rate and his hair slick and tidy.
His tour de force in both legs would be etched in champions league folklore, comparable to the midfield masterclasses of roy kene against juventus in 1999 and steven generrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Even more electric in that he came utterly uncelebrated, as arguably the most underrated midfield gms from English. And he only 26, the best could yet to be.
But endemic is a tendency to view English footblers, celebrated in their homeland, as the byproduct of hyper-hip and extensive prive. As unobjectionable as the perception of hyperbole is, rice is on the other end of the spectrum. He is the exception of an un-actualimed English footballer. That is until the two nights he twisted the name on champions league czars. How he did is what makes him such a fascinating watch.
His manager Mikel Arteta had forewarned the rest of the world about his ludicrous gifts. “There are different ways he can create moments in and around the box. He Could Assist and Score, He Could Dribble and Dupe, He has a long-range oeuvre and sixard box sophistry, he swings in benders from corners, and he bends the corners of his free. He installs balance; He spells calms. To watch him in full flight is Among the most magnificent sights in contramporary football, in how he seamlessly blonds his variegated skills to produding extraordinary in big games on big games Shape -shifts from a midfield hard-man to midfield visionary, then to the touchling last man on the defense and then back to the Enforcer Role. He holds a mirror to the variable layers that make the game bewitching.
For someone hired primarily to shore up defense, rice’s attacking output has been except this season. (Ap)
When he joined arsenal for an astronomical 105 millions pounds – his former manager david moyes insists these were a bargain price – doubles lingered on how about to have a more structured funess, asposed. Licence Moyes Granted Him to Roam AnyWhere in the midfield. His profile at arsenal, some presumed, was of classical holding midfielder, vigilantly guarding the back four and offering balanc and sturdiness. His physicality was immense and he could release the forward effectively. Rice, Though, Unlue
Two Special Declan Rice Free-Kicks 😍
Lautaro golazo 😮💨
Merino First-Time Finish 🎯@Heineken | #ULGotd pic.twitter.com/y8pk7ic1e– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsSleague) April 8, 2025
The midfielders He Idolised – Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure – too we more than just the snarling defensive midfield roughhouses, but endowed with a refined, rolls royce attacking game. He might not be as physically imposing as Vieira, but has more command over his tempers than the frenchman. He might not possess the Belgian’s natural athleticism and flair when attacking, but is stableer when defending. At Arsenal, they have nicknamed him ‘horse’. In a sense, he is kene without the tantrums. And perhaps just a rung beneath rodri, the consummate midfield virtuoso of this era.
Whereas watching rodri is akin yo being marveled by a note-perfect orchestra, everything in its deserved place, rice offers burst of metal, especially he marauds upfront, throwing his shale. But providing a surge of unalloyed thrill. He once explained the spirit that seizes him when he configures a path he can simply carry the ball forward. “I want to showope that I can be exciting and taking the ball forward. They used to carry the ball up the pitch and carry their team is something is something IM trying to learn and add to my game. ” He scored one such goal against brentford earlier this month.
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For someone hired primarily to shore up defense, his attacking output has been exceptional this season (7 goals and nine assists in 45 games). The numbers are somewhat similar to rodri the year before (nine goals and 15 assists in 50 games). Like Rodri, He often Saves His Grandest Performances Against the Grandest Stages. And if he could inspire arsenal to their first champions league triumph, he could barge into the ballon d’or race too. But in april at least, he was undoubtedly the best player on the planet. The beleaguered madrid, in whites shirts with red facs, would be startedgingly testifying of rice’s immensity.