Before this season, Declan Rice and his Arsenal colleagues came so close to winning the Premier League title, only to fall short at the business end
06:30, 30 May 2026
Declan Rice of Arsenal looks on during the training session/press conference one day ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2026 Final at Puskas Arena on May 29, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary
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Declan Rice could add another huge trophy to his collection(Image: 2026 Kevin Voigt)
Jack Whitehall once told Declan Rice, to his face, that he'd never win a trophy - the passionate Arsenal. fan has never been so happy to be wrong.
Whitehall was in the thick of the celebrations at Selhurst Park when the Gunners players finally got their hands on the Premier League title. He basked in the glory on the pitch with Mikel Arteta's side, where he made many memories which will last a lifetime - now he will be hoping they make more by beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
However, if there was anybody the comedian and actor was particularly happy for, it was the former West Ham United skipper. After-all, in jest, Whitehall once said he'd never win silverware.
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Whitehall who will be competing in SoccerAid for UNICEF this weekend on May 31st, exclusively told football.london : "I saw Declan. I’ve done some filming with him before so I knew him quite a bit.
"It was for Comic Relief. I had been winding him up about how he was never going to win a trophy. That was a cool full circle moment to be honest with you, as he was getting significant trophies as well.
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Before he joined Arsenal, the only trophy Rice got his hands on was the Europa Conference League. Since his £104million arrival in 2023, Rice endured two second placed finishes, reached the Champions League semi-final and lost the League Cup final to Manchester City before the Gunners won the title.
For England, he started both European Championship finals which the Three Lions lost to Italy and Spain and also played a huge role in the run to the World Cup quarter-final in 2022.
Jack Whitehall wearing a West ham shirt during the 2022 Mini Golf Challenge for Comic Relief on March 1,2022 in London, England. The 2022 Mini Golf Challenge for Comic Relief will see Arsenal fan and award-winning comedian, actor and presenter Jack Whitehall take on two England football heroes at the game of champions. Premier League players and childhood best friends Mason Mount and Declan Rice will be swapping their football clubs for golf clubs, as they go head-to-head on the mini golf course, with a big forfeit in store for the loser
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Whitehall pulled Rice's leg in a 2022 Comic Relief sketch(Image: 2022 Comic Relief)
Rice did not stop smiling when the Gunners won the title and was one of many Arsenal players to celebrate outside the Emirates Stadium until 5am. " I was at Selhurst Park. I was our team’s version of Salt Bae.
Those celebrations carried on to Selhurst Park, where Whitehall, among many other celebrity Arsenal fans, also joined in. Looking back at Selhurst Park, Whitehall laughed: " I was at Selhurst Park. I was our team’s version of Salt Bae.
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"[I was] Down there, on the pitch, getting in and amongst it as the team celebrated with their friends and family. It was an amazing day and an amazing week.
“I hope it can continue to be an amazing fortnight in Budapest. I left the house last Tuesday, handed my toddler to my wife and I have barely been back since."
Soccer Aid for UNICEF takes place on Sunday 31st May