Former Hammers skipper Declan Rice says West Ham are to thank for his best moment yet in an Arsenal shirt.
With Arsenal wobbling yet again in the Premier League title race, Declan Rice’s decision to leave West Ham in search of major silverware is back in the spotlight.
Hammers fans have taken great delight in reminding their Arsenal rivals that the last – and only – major trophy Rice has won in his career so far has been with West Ham.
Rice led the Irons to victory in the Europa Conference League back in the summer of 2023 before his £105m move to the Emirates.
Rice says West Ham to thanks for his best Arsenal moment
The midfielder burned bridges with some Hammers fans by insisting on joining the Gunners while citing his motivation being competing for and winning the top trophies in the game.
The fact West Ham have twice played their part in denying Rice the Premier League title since he left has been some consolation for the east Londoners in the face of goading from Arsenal fans about snatching away their beloved captain.
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West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at London Stadium on January 24, 2026 in London, England.
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Fate could conspire to hand West Ham the opportunity to deny Rice and Arsenal again with the two sides meeting on May 10th at the London Stadium.
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In fairness to Rice, though, he never forgets his roots and – on the whole – has spoken only with affection for West Ham since his departure.
Declan Rice scored two free-kicks for Arsenal against Real Madrid in the Champions League
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
That is the case again as Rice credits West Ham for his best moment yet in an Arsenal shirt.
This time last year Rice really announced himself on the Champions League stage when he stunned Real Madrid with two brilliant free kicks – the first scored in his career – as Arsenal won 3-0 in the quarter-final first leg.
Rice curled the first of two superb free-kicks round the Real Madrid wall into the corner of the net past Thibaut Courtois, the man regarded the world’s best goalkeeper.
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Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on November 23, 2025 in London, England.
The former Hammer then scored his second with a free-kick of equal quality just over 10 minutes later, bending another long-range effort into the top right-hand corner to leave Madrid stunned.
After that game West Ham fans had to suffer claims from all and sundry that playing for Arsenal had taken Rice’s game to the next level.
But Rice himself says his old West Ham teammates were to thank for that unforgettable brace, because they used to always tell him to shoot more and take free-kicks.
Declan Rice lifts the Europa Conference League trophy with West Ham
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
“My teammates for years, even going back to West Ham days, were like, they just said that you need to shoot more,” Rice told TNT Sports when asked when he developed his free-kick talent.
“As a midfielder, you know what it’s like. You just feel like if you get the ball on the edge sometimes, you’ve got someone on you, and you can’t get it.
“But with this, I think you’ve just got to seize the moment in terms of, if you’re 0-0, what have you got to lose?”
The big debate about whether Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have made Rice world class or whether he was already world class at West Ham continues to rage among fans of the two clubs.
His staggering £105m fee would suggest Arsenal already believed he was world class paying that kind of money.
But Jarrod Bowen believes Rice has elevated his game since leaving West Ham for Arsenal, when speaking after reuniting with his former teammate on England duty last month.
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