Declan Rice’s Euro 2024 Final Performance Goes Viral – But Not for the Right Reasons
The Three Lions’ heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final has been met with widespread criticism, and one player in particular has been under the microscope – Declan Rice.
The Arsenal midfielder had a woeful game, struggling to make an impact and repeatedly giving the ball away. A compilation of his performance has gone viral on social media, with fans and pundits alike left scratching their heads.
On Sunday, England’s hopes of winning their second major tournament were dashed as Spain emerged victorious, thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th-minute winner. While Rice was one of the players who came on in the second half, he failed to make a meaningful contribution.
In fact, Rice’s evening was summed up by his late miss, which saw him head over the crossbar after Unai Simon had saved his initial effort and Dani Olmo cleared Marc Guehi’s rebound off the goal line. It was a moment that encapsulated his frustrating performance.
The stats don’t make for pleasant reading either. Rice completed just 78% of his attempted passes, and his underlying stats suggest that he struggled to make an impact. But what the numbers don’t show are the moments Spanish players breezed past him, or the moment he decided to stoop so low to try and chest the ball that he ended up getting kicked in the ribcage.
Fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment with Rice’s performance, with many questioning his £100 million price tag. "I can’t believe this is a £100 million player. That money used to get you [Paul] Pogba," one fan commented. Another wrote: "If this is a £100m player, football is in a dark dark place."
As England fans continue to come to terms with the defeat, one thing is clear – Declan Rice needs to up his game if he’s going to be a key player for the Three Lions in the future.
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