Is Declan Rice one of the best midfielders in the world?

Karan Ahgun

— 2 min read
Is Declan Rice one of the best midfielders in the world?

Not many players can say that they received back-to-back player of the match awards in a Champions League knockout tie against Real Madrid. Declan Rice can. The England midfielder was absolutely immense in Arsenal's quarter-final victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League, and outshone the likes of Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. Even without Rice's two stunning free-kicks in the 1st leg, his performance level was undoubtedly above any other player across both teams. So does this kind of performance move Rice into the very top bracket of midfielders in world football?

This performance against Real Madrid feels like a pivotal moment in Declan Rice's career. Since his £105 million pound move from West Ham United, Rice has performed reasonably well in an Arsenal shirt but there have been doubts as to whether he can reach the very top levels as a midfielder. Arsenal fans have definitely enjoyed his performances throughout his time at the club, and there's even a running joke as they have a chant that goes "We got him half price". The reservations about Rice as a top level midfielder mainly stem from a perceived inability to control the tempo of a game and receive the ball on the half-turn from his backline. But Rice seems to have laid these concerns to rest with his performances across this mega tie.

Declan Rice's all-round game has improved massively this season. He dominates midfields, has increased his goal output and has become one of the best set-piece takers in the Premier League. No one expected Rice to score those two worldies of free-kicks against Real Madrid but they are massive indicators of just how much his game has improved since moving to Arsenal. Whilst his attacking abilities were on show in the 1st leg, his outstanding defensive abilities were prominent in the 2nd leg. His reading of the game was incredible and intercepted almost everything Real Madrid were trying to create. The likes of Bellingham, Vini Jr and Mbappé literally had nothing to feed off of and Declan Rice had a huge part to play in that.

It was truly one of the best all-round midfield performances in the Champions League by Declan Rice and he has announced himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. Rice's trajectory is on the up and if his performances continue on this level, he could be a major contributing factor to Arsenal winning this season's Champions League!

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