Real Galacticos? Rice leaves Madrid stars in the dust

Not every Galactico is a fancy Dan with a bag full of tricks. There’s room for a player like Rice in that category – and now he has an opportunity to take the plaudits.

RICE, RICE, BABY: Arsenal's Declan Rice reacts whilst VAR check for a possible penalty for Real Madrid after he tackled Kylian Mbappe. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

Declan Rice has moved himself into Galactico territory with an outstanding performance at the Bernabeu after leading Arsenal into the semi-finals of the Champions League – and leaving Real’s biggest names in the shade in the process.

Rice, who scored two stunning free-kicks in the fist leg as Arsenal won 3-0, this time produced an almost perfect midfield performance as he defended with precision and power and ran the game from the middle of the park – leaving Buyako Saka and Gabriel Marinelli to score the goals in a 2-1 victory.