Importance Score: 35 / 100 🔵
- Rice netted twice on a historic night for Arsenal in Champions League quarters
- He fired in two free-kicks – including the first of his career – for north Londoners
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Should Phil Foden miss the Club World Cup this summer to be given a rest?
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Declan Rice has been hailed as ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’ by Daniel Sturridge after his stunning performance for Arsenal against Real Madrid.
The Gunners star lit up north London on Tuesday night with two scintillating dead ball efforts, the first from the right of the goal and curled around the wall and the second fired into the top corner from the left.
It helped Arsenal to a 3-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and they will aim to finish the job when they head to Spain and the Bernabeu next week for the return fixture.
It was a performance of near perfection for Mikel Arteta’s side, who had other chances to score – including through Rice again, who had another effort cleared off the line.
And Rice was praised for his efforts after the game, wearing a giant smile as he was interviewed on Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the match.
Former England forward Daniel Sturridge led the admiration for the 26-year-old, and argued he is now up there with the world’s best.
‘He showed people what he is all about at club level,’ Sturridge said on Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the game. ‘He has been brilliant for England and now his name will be in the conversation with the best midfielders in the world.
‘Even driving for Merino’s goal, he shows so many parts of his game, he did the complete performance today and we need to see more of him and that’s what it’s all about, it’s not about anyone else questioning him, he can do it.’
Wayne Rooney added: ‘I like his honesty. It is about going from a holding midfielder to attacking midfielder and it’s not always easy.
‘If I get in here I will get my rewards for it. He probably can’t believe what has happened, we will see many more nights like tonight.’
Rice himself admitted he feels it will take a while for his achievements to hit him as he basked in the success of the night.
In more than 330 games as a professional, it was the first time he had scored a direct free-kick and two arrived in 13 minutes.
He said: ‘I don’t know if it will ever sink in. My phone has gone crazy.
‘To score the first and second, I fancied both and to have the confidence… I am a bit speechless, it is a nice bit of history to beat Madrid.
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‘The manager just said, with the individual quality they have, it is scary and special things happen at the Bernabeu. We are not going to defend, we are going to attack and we want to be in the semis.
‘No messages from David Beckham, I’m not lucky enough to have his number. But I am so happy.’
On his first free-kick, he revealed shooting wasn’t originally the plan – but he was persuaded by a team-mate.
‘We had a good discussion before each one,’ he said. ‘Martin [Odegaard] was saying to cross, I said it doesn’t make sense and to chip it like that – it’s not a risk but it’s hard.
‘We practise them all the time. Nicolas Jover (set-piece coach) is telling me to cross and it didn’t make sense.
‘Bukayo (Saka) said if you feel it, go for it. I looked at the wall and keeper and said I could bend it and that’s what happened. He (Jover) is claiming for it and he told me to cross it!’