Declan Rice is the talk of world football following his incredible free kicks that put Arsenal firmly in control of their Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid.
The English midfielder, who was purchased for £100million by Mikel Arteta in 2022, repaid that seismic transfer fee with a performance that will go down in Arsenal folklore for years to come.
The magic conjured up by Rice in north London left Madrid superstar transfixed, with the Frenchman rooted to his spot and shaking his head in disbelief.
There was a time, back in primary school, when kids would shout ‘bend it like Beckham!’ and subsequently hit the most underwhelming free-kick you had ever seen.
NowRice will be the next footballing star to have playgrounds across the country in thrall as boys and girls try to imitate what he did against Real Madrid.
And perhaps it’s no surprise he has been compared to Beckham. Not only is he the newly christened free-kick king, but he’s got the same fashionista streak, calls the former Manchester United star an ‘icon’, and has battled against cruel trolling of his relationship off the field.
Rice did not stun Madrid out of luck. Rice beat Thibaut Courtois – to some pundits Europe’s best goalkeeper – after hours of dedication on the training ground, hammering free kicks high, wide, and into the sweet spots he found at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
Declan Rice is the talk of world football following his performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday night (pictured with girlfriend Lauren Fryer)
Declan Rice’s free-kick heroics against Real Madrid were reminiscent of David Beckham (right)
Given his life away from the field, there are more comparisons with Beckham than you’d think
First came the one he bent around the wall, which was actually heading wider than the stanchion behind the goal before it twisted, preternaturally, into the corner before Courtois could get across.
The second was even better. Some clever work from Arsenal‘s hive in front of the wall opened up a gap, and Rice duly found the top corner as easily as he found Real Madrid’s midfield in his back pocket when he got home.
Beckham would have been proud. Indeed, his son Romeo was, posting on Instagram: ‘Omg Declan Rice my brotheeerrrrr.’ They are not, in fact, brothers. No blood relates them but Rice struck his shots with such grace and authority that Romeo, offspring of one of the dead-ball greats, had no choice but to feel kinship.
And for Rice, there is meaning behind this. In 338 club games, and 67 for England, he had never scored a free-kick goal. Now he has two of the most memorable in the style of his role model.
He revealed in 2022 that Beckham had been one of his heroes growing up. ‘This [Beckham, 23] was my favourite shirt as a kid, I remember going on holiday with my brothers and my family and non-stop wearing this shirt,’ he said, reflecting on Madrid’s first Galacticos era.
‘It’s iconic, with Becks on the back. Probably my favorite kit of all time.
‘So many good players, obviously Becks was the icon, to have this shirt and to have his name on the back was a dream as a kid.
‘Some of the assists he got for those players was top. So, yeah, I’d put Becks up there but R9 (Ronaldo Nazario) was my favourite.’
Fryer has been described as one of the ‘loveliest people you could meet,’ someone who keeps the Arsenal star grounded
Like the Beckhams in David’s years at Manchester United, Rice has battled against unfair mockery of his relationship off the field
Rice has dipped his toes into modelling for magazines and often wears Prada gear
Last year he modelled at London Fashion Week in a navy suit with a white lace-up tie
That first Galacticos team, packed with the likes of Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Michael Owen, and the Brazilian Ronaldo, ‘only’ won one Champions League – before Becks arrived.
For Arsenal, one Champions League would be golddust, a vindication of their faith in Mikel Arteta, their splurge on the Emirates, and image as an elite club. An Opta supercomputer has now made them favourites to win it. Madrid rank dead last.
Rice’s humility and genuineness always shines through in his interview, but he can turn up the star factor when needed.
Last September hewalked the Labrum runway show during London Fashion Week, wearing an ice-cold expression and a distinctive navy suit with a white lace-up tie. He looked like the world’s coolest butler. Oh, and black trainers too. Got to keep it casual.
The 26-year-old often dons Prada gear and in 2022 modelled for the cover of Circle Zero Eight magazine. Fortunately that day he did not spill any Muller Rice down his costume. Did we mention he’s an ambassador for the pudding brand?
He has also modelled for Men’s Health, and told the Magazine last year about his pre-match diet.
‘I have four pancakes before a game. Covered in syrup or honey,’ he said.
‘I swear to God, it’s the best thing… When I joined the club, I could see the [Arsenal] players eating them and thought to myself, “What is going on here?” But honestly, it’s been a game changer.
Rice says eating four pancakes before a match is one of the key to his success at Arsenal
He’s already been a corner taker for England, but could he be an option on free kicks?
Rice has a two-year-old son called Jude, and is seen here taking the youngster bowling
The 26-year-old is not afraid to show his lifestyle away from the field on his Instagram
‘I don’t understand the science behind it, what’s in them or anything like that, but it gives me such a high energy boost.
‘I think that’s why I’m able to rattle around the pitch so much…If we’re playing at 5.30pm, I’ll sometimes have eight pancakes in a day.
‘I’ll have some at breakfast and I’ll have some more at 3.30pm before we play.’
The artistic vein does not stop at modelling. Rice revealed last year that he is also into photography. He runs an Instagram account under the name dr.jpg, which has amassed more than 64,000 followers.
Unfortunately, its current content is rather threadbare – there are only five posts on it, and not even all of the photos are taken by him.
That said, he has captured some great shots of his team-mates and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and its surroundings, sharing images which would not look out of place on a club’s official Instagram grid.
Other images include Chelsea’s Noni Madueke with his first England cap following the win against Greece, Harry Kane celebrating his 100th Three Lions outing, and Trent Alexander-Arnold with his player of the match award from the same game.
Through it all, Rice has had his childhood sweetheart alongside him. Lauren Fryer was previously described to MailOnline as one of the ‘loveliest people you could meet’. The duo have a two-year-old son, Jude.
Kylian Mbappe could scarcely believe it when Rice smashed home two free-kicks on Tuesday
Rice’s leadership, consistency, and genuineness have shone through in his time at Arsenal
However, much like David and Victoria Beckham were the target of mockery, Declan and Lauren have been through similar, albeit for different reasons.
Last year, Chelsea fans sang a derogatory chant about Lauren as Rice got ready to take a corner. The England star ignored the chants.
She was also hit with a barrage of online abuse over her appearance, which led to her deleting all the photographs off her Instagram account, a reality which remains the case today.
The bullying first started in December 2023 an anonymous account told midfielder Rice he ‘could do better’.
Lauren was said to be ‘holed up’ at the couple’s £2.6 million Surrey mansion, staying away from games, while Declan was ‘desperately sad’ and trying to keep away from vicious comments thrown his way.
All the more credit to Rice for bulldozing his way through Madrid, then. All the more credit to him for being one of Arsenal’s most consistent players week in, week out.
On Tuesday night he showed a different side to his game, one of added flair, his free-kicks and driving runs proving unstoppable.
Beckham once said of his famous free-kick against Greece that, ‘as soon as I hit it, I knew.’ From now, that may be a feeling coming Rice’s way more often.