Declan Rice has enjoyed a meteoric rise to superstardom, establishing himself as one of the top midfielders in Europe. The 26-year-old midfielder scored two brilliant free-kicks at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, leading Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.
He broke the deadlock on the hour mark before doubling the Gunners' lead a few moments later. Mikel Merino piled on the misery, netting the north Londoners' third and final of the tie.
Rice was awarded man of the match for his spectacular display – the latest achievement in his sparkling career. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up everything you need to know about Rice and his meteoric rise to superstardom.
Chelsea release Rice at the age of 14
Rice was released by Chelsea at the age of 14 after struggling with the 'physical aspect' of football. Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap three years ago, the former Cobham prospect recalled the day he got let go.
"Obviously, I was released at 14 by Chelsea, something that I didn’t expect at all," said Rice. "It was all I ever knew as a kid, you know, it’s my whole life, going there, training with the mates I’d met.
"And honestly, I felt like that was it – I was gutted, my dad coming home telling me after school. Other clubs find out before you get released about whether you’re going to be released or not, and that night I actually went and trained with Fulham.
"I trained with Fulham on Wednesday that night, and on Thursday I was at West Ham," added Rice. "I think the embarrassment of it you know, how did you tell your friends that you’ve been released by Chelsea?
"That was a tough one. Also shock, obviously, upset, so I thought where I’m going to go, what I’m going to do from here? I still don’t know the exact reason [why Chelsea released me] – I wish I did.
"I think it was probably down to the fact that when I was a kid I was actually tiny. I was going for a massive growth spurt at the time – my body wasn’t all connected together, my running pattern was really weird. Technical ability was fine, but in terms of the physical aspect of it, I was struggling."
'I based my game on a Chelsea legend'
Speaking to The Times in 2018, Rice explained how John Terry inspired him as a youngster. He said: "John would speak to the parents and take his time to get to know young players and families. For a club captain to do that is quality.
"I based my whole game on John when I was younger. When Chelsea released me, he called for 45 minutes, and I remember I was sitting in my room next to my dad. It was John Terry - I could not believe it."
Rice added: "He handed over all his experience and advice. He said never to stop, always keep working hard and give everything you have. It stayed in my head, and look where I am now.
"No dream is far away. Sometimes I text him, like when he retired, and he replied, 'Thanks mate, it is your time now.'"
Rice bursts onto the scene at West Ham
Rice burst onto the scene at West Ham, quickly establishing himself as a key player. Slaven Bilic handed the youngster his Premier League debut during the Hammers' 2-1 win over Burnley in May 2017.
The following season, he featured 26 times for West Ham in the English top flight, alternating between centre-half and holding midfield. Rice's ability in possession was difficult to ignore, and so David Moyes transformed him into a midfielder once and for all.
During the 2018/19 season, he started all but four of the Hammers' games in the Premier League as they secured a top-half finish. Rice was rewarded for his efforts in March when Gareth Southgate handed him his senior England debut.
The Three Lions international continued to impress for West Ham – and it didn't take him long to write his name in the history books. In 2022, Rice succeeded Mark Noble as club captain.
The following year, he led the Hammers to a UEFA Europa Conference League title the following year while being named the competition's player of the season. In doing so, Rice became the first West Ham captain to win a European trophy since Bobby Moore lifted the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, and just the third to ever lift a trophy for the club.
Rice 'wanted to join Chelsea' before Arsenal transfer
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, sponsored by William Hill, Jody Morris revealed that Rice was keen on a return to Stamford Bridge during Frank Lampard's first stint as manager. The former Chelsea assistant head coach said: "I messaged Declan Rice when I was at Chelsea, and I asked him whether he'd come back, even after being released by the club.
"He was a centre-half back then and there were a lot of people who said he shouldn't have been released when he was, but in hindsight it was probably the best thing for him considering all the amazing things he went on to do at West Ham.
"I was always on Frank Lampard's case saying how unbelievable Rice would be for us when N'Golo Kante kept getting injured and he wasn't sure at first, but a month later he was all over him! So, we reached out to Declan on whether he'd want to come back and he said, 'I'm a Chelsea fan, of course I would!'
"From then on Lampard was speaking to him and the upstairs members at the club were talking to his parents. In the end it got put on the backburner in favour of a couple of other signings. It didn't end up going through, but at the time they were quoting around £60-65 million so that would've been a steal for someone who could have easily been at the club for 10 years.
"For me, Rice is top-drawer and I'm so excited about the England midfield we have at the minute. Rice has shown his worth in an England shirt and for West Ham and now at Arsenal with a better team and he's performing week in week out."
Lampard has previously spoken about his attempts to sign Rice. Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast a couple of years ago, the Chelsea legend said: "When I was at Chelsea before, I wanted to bring in Declan Rice.
"I said he would be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years. It didn't happen, but it's hard for me to dissect other people's work between when I left the club and came back."
Arsenal sign Rice for a club-record fee
After leading West Ham to European glory, Rice swapped the London Stadium for the Emirates. Despite interest from Chelsea, Arsenal signed the Englishman for a club-record fee of £105m, eclipsing the £72m paid for Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019.
"In football, amazing opportunities arise. Big clubs, like Arsenal, have come for me and it's really hard to turn down," said Rice, speaking to the official club website. "You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he's building.
"I'm really looking forward to the future with Arsenal. With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me.
"I know the fans really want that. For me as a player, I've come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club. I know he [Arteta] is going to get the best out of me.
"I know I've got more levels to go up in my game, and I feel like he's the manager to take me to those next levels. I am really excited to be working with him."
Rice has established himself as one of the top midfielders in Europe since joining Arsenal. He's helped Mikel Arteta's side mount numerous Premier League title bids while also becoming a stalwart for England.
Rice's girlfriend faces online abuse
Sadly, Rice's girlfriend has recently faced online abuse. The Arsenal midfielder and Lauren Fryer have been together for eight years, having first met at school as teenagers.
The couple are very private. Rice has rarely name-dropped his partner in interviews, though he occasionally references her as his ‘missus’. That said, Lauren is often seen supporting him in the stands with their son, Jude, who was born in August 2022.
Lauren can be found on Instagram (@laurenfryer_) with nearly 100,000 followers, but all of her posts have been taken down. Ever since Rice's partner was subject to horrible online abuse, she's not posted.
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