-
Declan Rice opens up receiving boos from West Ham fans & describes ‘really odd’ feeling to score against former club
Arsenal’s Declan Rice has candidly addressed the experience of facing boos from West Ham fans, describing it as a “really odd” sensation, particularly when scoring against his former club.
Rice has become an integral figure for Arsenal in their pursuit of Premier League success, contributing four goals and five assists. Despite encountering difficulties against West Ham earlier in the season, with defeats in the Carabao Cup and the Premier League, Rice remained resolute in leaving his mark. He fulfilled this determination during Arsenal’s resounding 6-0 victory in February, notably scoring a long-range goal at the London Stadium.
However, the 25-year-old acknowledged the challenge of facing his former club, particularly when met with mixed reactions from West Ham fans at his former home ground. The experience of receiving boos from supporters while playing against the team he once represented added an unusual dimension to the match for Rice.
Speaking to ESPN, Rice said: “It was so tough. We lost in the cup to them. We lost in the league at the Emirates; I didn’t play well and gave away a penalty. The West Ham fans bantered me and I can 100% take that; I played for West Ham for 10 years and I know how they work. When I went over to take the corner, there were a few boos, but there were claps as well.
“I know my love for them has never changed; their love for me has never changed. It is one of those things where you move on. Obviously, I scored a great goal, it was really odd. Even speaking about it now, it is weird. A lot of the lads asked me afterwards, ‘How does it feel?’ It was a bittersweet feeling, really odd.”
Despite that remarkable strike, Rice refrained from celebrating, and the England international added, “I always said I would never celebrate against West Ham and I don’t think I ever will. They made me who I am. I spent 10 years there; I owe them a lot. I would never ever celebrate; I think that would be really disrespectful. Overall, [it was] a really good day to win and to score, but a bittersweet feeling.”
Rice is still committed to working on himself and the team’s shared objective of winning the Premier League. To increase his goal total, he will return to play on Monday night against Sheffield United.