BENT IT LIKE DECLAN

LONDON. – Ballon D’Or contender, compared to David Beckham and the heartbeat of an Arsenal side chasing an unprecedented Quadruple.

No wonder Declan Rice’s childhood dreams didn’t picture his career turning out like this.

They certainly didn’t have the midfielder’s face being splashed across double-decker buses in London.

But that just comes with the territory when you are a star as big as Rice.

After years of Brand Beckham, maybe we are entering the era of Brand Declan?

Time will tell, but Rice’s profile is rapidly rising to new heights thanks to his performances for Arsenal and England.

There is still a way to go to match Becks – both on and off the pitch – but a few more free-kicks like his two stunners against Real Madrid last year will help. Rice said: “He messaged me on Instagram about it.

“That was crazy, because he had some of the biggest moments ever with free-kicks

“I remember the first time I met Beckham was in Qatar. We all approached him. Every player was like, he was a god, you know, because it’s Becks.” – The Sun