The evolution of Declan Rice - can Arsenal star emulate heroes Yaya Toure and Steven Gerrard to become all-time midfield great?
Published 18/04/2025 at 11:30 GMT+1
How far can Declan Rice go in football? And what type of player will he become? The England midfielder was majestic on Wednesday night as Arsenal overcame Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, booking their place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. A mouthwatering tie with Paris Saint-Germain awaits, as Rice bids to plant his name alongside some legends of the game.
Rice on 'historic night' for Arsenal - 'club will do special things over next few years'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Back-to-back player of the match awards, against Real Madrid, in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
If Bukayo Saka was judged to finally be world-class after his own showing in the Bernabeu, then Declan Rice is another Englishman quickly ascending to that status.
From his two astonishing free kicks in the first leg, to a commanding, all-action display in the second that saw his side through to the semi-finals, Rice has come of age on the big stage.
The 26-year-old has still only played 21 games in the Champions League, but is rapidly making this season's edition his own as The Gunners eye a first UCL final since 2006, in what would be just their second ever in the competition.
Rice, of course, has experience of lifting a European crown, memorably doing so with West Ham in the UEFA Conference League in 2022/23.
But this is a whole different level, and we have looked back at Rice's evolution over the past three years to see how he has changed - and whether he can emulate two of his own midfield heroes...
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Highlights: Arsenal knock out holders Real Madrid
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From six to eight - to ten?
Rice's time at West Ham saw David Moyes generally deploy him as one of two deeper-lying midfielders - typically alongside Tomas Soucek - in a 4-2-3-1 system, with the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals providing the thrust further up the pitch.
At Arsenal, this is also where he began his time at the club - acting often as more of a solo pivot - before Mikel Arteta saw something in Rice that he felt would be better served higher up the pitch.
Speaking in late 2023, Arteta said: "He [Rice] has shown that he has an eye for goals when he is in the opponents’ box.
"He is a real threat. That is something that can be developed. His leadership skills will naturally grow in the team and club in the years to come. He has other levels to go.
"I love his presence on the pitch, he’s got something special. Playing as a No. 8 he can be an incredible player."
And, operating across from fellow No. 8 Martin Odegaard, this left-central role is where Rice has found a home for The Gunners.
Looking at Rice's touch maps from the past three seasons in the Premier League, these changes are clear to see.
And the data shows that Rice has been building on the attacking promise that Arteta identified.
| Stat per 90 | 22-23 | 23-24 | 24-25 |
| Goals + assists | 0.17 | 0.42 | 0.30 |
| Chances created | 1.02 | 1.31 | 1.90 |
| Total shots | 0.99 | 1.62 | 1.45 |
Stats: Opta
Big uplifts in all of the categories above show a player who is now absolutely vital to his team, not just defensively, but also offensively.
And that makes you think of some other legendary midfielders that Rice could be on a path to emulating...
'Someone I've based the game on massively'
What could be next for Rice? Is there a world where he ends up even higher up the pitch, in the space a No. 10 would typically occupy?
With his all-round qualities - allied to a honed set-piece delivery that sees him over the majority of his side's corners and free kicks - Rice is doing it all.
Perhaps that is not surprising, when you consider that one of his heroes growing up was Yaya Toure, and that he has also previously said he would have loved to have played with Steven Gerrard.
"One of the idols," Rice said of Toure when the pair met in 2022.
"Someone I've based the game on massively."
Toure and Gerrard - like Rice - both moved around midfield during their careers, but went in opposite directions as they got older, with Gerrard getting deeper for Liverpool, while Toure - who anchored Barcelona's midfield and even played in their defence - generally played much closer to goal for Manchester City.
In terms of combined goals and assists, Toure and Gerrard both had their best Premier League seasons in 2013/14, and here are how Rice's numbers from this season (so far) stack up with that legendary pair.
| Stat totals | Rice 24/25 | Toure 13/14 | Gerrard 13/14 |
| Goals | 2 | 20 | 13 |
| Assists | 6 | 9 | 13 |
| Chances created | 51 | 41 | 69 |
| Shots | 39 | 64 | 60 |
Whilst Rice may not have the same goalscoring numbers as yet, for the England midfielder to be on track to create more chances than both Toure and Gerrard - in one of their best seasons - shows the company the 26-year-old is keeping.
And it also points to a player that will perhaps lean more towards his creativity than goalscoring, even if Rice did get seven goals in the PL last term.
As well as the pure numbers, it is clear that - like Toure and Gerrard - match-defining displays are what Rice is beginning to be known for, as his boss Mikel Arteta outlined after beating Real.
"I think tonight he was immense. I think he turned the game around," Arteta told TNT Sports.
"The moment the game was 50/50, he got the ball and he turned the game.
"I think he was immense today. He made a difference in the tie."
For Toure, there were five league titles, one Champions League crown and one Africa Cup of Nations victory in his career, while for Gerrard, it was one Champions League, one UEFA Cup, and five domestic cups.
Can Rice better those hauls as he embarks on the second half of his career?
What will Tuchel do?
With England still short on deeper-lying midfielders, and with Thomas Tuchel playing Rice as a No. 6 in the two recent 2026 World Cup qualifiers, it looks like his considerable skills in that position will still be used.
But should an alternative emerge - Angel Gomes was tried there under Lee Carsley, and Tuchel called up Jordan Henderson for the two March ties - then Rice could provide England with another dimension higher up.
A No. 8 partnership with Jude Bellingham - like the one he has at club level with Odegaard - certainly would be a captivating concept heading further into the Three Lions' World Cup cycle.
England's next camp sees them take on Andorra in World Cup qualifying on June 7, with a friendly against Senegal on June 10.
By that time, Rice could yet be a European club champion again.
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