Declan Rice’s reputation at Arsenal has never been higher following his two free kicks against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Rice’s double and Mikel Merino’s fast-paced third goal helped Arsenal defeat the reigning European champions 3-0 at the Emirates, maybe the strongest performance of Mikel Arteta’s tenure to date.
Within 12 minutes of one another, Rice scored his first two free-kick goals in his career, curling two incredible attempts past a star-studded Madrid wall and into Thibaut Courtois’ top corner.
Myles Lewis-Skelly set up Merino to sweep home and make it 3-0 less than five minutes after Rice had doubled Arsenal’s lead, giving the Gunners the lead going into the second leg next week.
Declan Rice Verdict delivered after Arsenal display
After paying a club-record £100 million to acquire Rice from West Ham in July 2023, Arteta suddenly has a different player
Rice is tough-tackling, defensive-minded midfielder. Rice’s brace against Los Blancos was the pinnacle of an already remarkable Arsenal career. He has grown into a box-crashing, high-pressing, and now free-kick scoring number eight at The Emirates.
After full time, Rice’s Instagram post naturally sparked a lot of reactions from Arsenal legends, and the two free kicks have put the Gunners squarely on track to make it to the Champions League semifinals.
One of these was Jack Wilshere, who called the 26-year-old a “BARGAIN” in a one-word remark after posting Rice’s photo on his Instagram story
Most Arsenal supporters would never have imagined that they would lead 3-0 going into the second leg at Estadio Santiago Bernabèu, with a Champions League semi-final berth now up for grabs if they lose.
As the ideal counterpoint to Martin Odegaard, Arteta’s transformation of Rice from a deep-lying playmaker into Arsenal’s all-action midfield metronome might be crucial to their push towards a European Cup final.
With Martin Zubimendi at the base of three, who knows what heights the Gunners could reach next? Stefan Borson exclusively revealed to Football Insider in January that Arsenal had already reached an agreement to purchase the player from Real Sociedad this summer.
Declan Rice was the highlight of Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Emirates.
Priority on Tuesday night’s match, there was some concern about the Gunners’ lack of experience at this point in the Champions League.
Before March, Carlo Ancelotti even indicated that Arsenal was at a disadvantage because their players weren’t accustomed to competing in quarterfinals.
All of it, however, was inconsequential at the Emirates, as Arsenal dominated most of the match and won 3-0 with justification.
After winning Player of the Match for his two incredible free kicks in the second half, Rice has been the talk of Arsenal ever since.