Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has hit out at rivals mocking his team after their Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Gunners suffered a heart-breaking 4-3 loss in penalties during the final on Saturday.
Despite the defeat in Budapest, Arsenal celebrated their Premier League triumph in style as they held an open-top bus parade. Mikel Arteta and co. celebrated the club's first league title in 22 years, with the players focusing on that win more than the loss to PSG.
However, in the wake of the north London club's defeat in the European final, several of their rivals appeared to mock them online. While rival fans posted comments that mock Arsenal, clubs like Chelsea also appeared to aim cheeky digs for which the Blues later apologised.
Noni Madueke, who joined Arsenal from Chelsea last summer, acknowledged the hate his team received online on his celebratory Instagram post. While sharing an image of him holding the Premier League trophy with Rice during the parade, Madueke wrote:
"Champions! Whilst others are tweeting and posting 😂 Thank you God. The glory is yours!"
Rice quickly replied to the post and took a shot at the Gunners' rivals:
Arsenal men's team were also joined by their women's team during the parade as they celebrated their triumph in the first-ever FIFA Women's Champions Cup.
"We're coming back for more" - Declan Rice issues Arsenal warning to rivals
Rice was involved in the thick of the celebrations during the parade. The midfielder was seen grabbing the microphone and chanting, 'set-piece again, ole, ole'.
He also rapped Vanilla Ice's hit song 'Ice, Ice Baby', before making a huge promise to the fans. Rice pledged his love for Arteta and his teammates, and vowed to come back and achieve more next season.
The Englishman said:
"I love this team, I love the manager. To see the joy we can give people, it's crazy. But next year we're coming back for more."
Rice will now head to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with England. The tournament will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Three Lions face New Zealand and Costa Rica in friendlies before facing Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L.
Notably, England finished second in each of the last two European Championships, with their 2022 FIFA World Cup appearance ending in a quarter-final exit to eventual runners-up France.