Declan Rice produced the best moment of his career, scoring two free kicks to beat Real Madrid. As a result, the Arsenal ace received a message from David Beckham
Declan Rice scored two spectacular free-kicks against Real Madrid last season (Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Declan Rice has admitted he was shocked after receiving a message from David Beckham about his free-kick performance against Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League.
Arsenal won at the Emirates and the Bernabéu, defeating then-European champions Los Blancos 5-1 on aggregate. Victory in north London was thanks to two superb free-kicks that gave Thibaut Courtois no chance.
Rice’s first attack featured an amazing whip around the wall. The second one was a powerful blow that roared into the top corner.
Beckham is regarded as one of England’s best free-kick takers of the modern era and still holds the Premier League record. Rice mentioned some of his most iconic moments, saying he was in awe when he first sent the message.
“He[Beckham]messaged me about it on Instagram. It was crazy because he had some of the best free-kick moments of all time. I remember the first time I met Beckham in Qatar. We all approached him. Every player thought he was a god, because that’s Becks,” he told The Sun.
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“When you put the ball (on a set-piece), it’s just all about feel. It’s about knowing where to put the ball and at what pace to put it. People might say, ‘How do you know that?'” You have to get away from your instincts. We know it can be confusing, but it’s one of our strengths. This year has been really good for us, so let’s keep it going. ”
Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career until producing two magical moments in last season’s Champions League. The former West Ham ace admitted after the game that he did not understand what he had done. “I don’t know if it’s going to stick,” he told Amazon Prime after the game.
David Beckham goes on base with Declan Rice after taking a successful free kick (Image: Getty Images)
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“Then I went back to my phone and I was just freaking out. It’s special to take the first free kick of the game. And when I took the second one…I was so confident. I was just speechless. I don’t think I could have done what I did tonight. It’s a historic night.”
He has previously revealed that Beckham was his idol as a child, especially during his time at Real Madrid. Rice said: “This (Beckham, 23) was my favorite shirt as a kid. I remember going on holidays with my brother and family and wearing it all the time. It’s iconic because it has Beckham on the back.”
“It’s probably my favorite jersey of all time. There were a lot of great players, but Becks was obviously the icon. It was a childhood dream of mine to wear this shirt and have his name on the back.”
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