Declan Rice labelled ‘useless’ at Euro 2024 by ex-Spurs player

Declan Rice, an England and Arsenal midfielder, has been criticized by former Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart for his style of play. Rice was signed by Arsenal in a record-breaking £105 million deal last summer, and since then, he has been an integral part of an England team that has advanced to two grand finals.

Van der Vaart, who played a minor role in the 2010 World Cup in which the Netherlands lost to Spain, and who spent two years at Tottenham after two at Real Madrid, is not confident in his talents.
“What does Declan Rice do for £100 million?” Van der Vaart stated to NOS, a Dutch radio station.
“He returns with the ball to John Stones after retrieving it. He is not useful. If you’re genuinely worth £100m, you should be able to play the ball forward.”

Statistics before the final showed that, despite Van der Vaart’s criticism, Rice had completed 90 successful passes into the final third of the Euro 2024 knockout stages more than any other midfield player. By contrast, Spanish master Fabian Ruiz managed to pass one pass out of 68, while Jude Bellingham managed to pass 71. Furthermore, Rodri—who served as Spain’s pivot and went on to win Player of the Tournament—was not listed among the top five.

In the club race for the Premier League title in 2023–2024, Rice assisted Arsenal in cutting the lead over Manchester City to just two points. The Gunners had a stronger defensive record at the end of the season than the reigning champions, who might be dethroned by Pep Guardiola in 2024–2025 with the help of a proven goal scorer.

Rice will now have at least two weeks off until Arsenal’s preseason training gets underway on Monday morning, the day following the European Championship final. He is scheduled to play matches this month against Bournemouth, Manchester United, and Liverpool, although he will miss the club’s summer tour of the United States as a result. However, he needs to play in one of the two home games that are slated for August.