Declan Rice has been voted Arsenal’s Player of the Season for the second year running.
The midfielder beat goalkeeper David Raya and defender Gabriel Magalhaes to the award, picking up 44% of the fans’ votes.
In winning the honour back-to-back, he follows in the footsteps of Liam Brady, Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, the only other players to have achieved the feat.
Rice was a near ever-present in Arsenal’s midfield as Mikel Arteta’s side ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final. In total, he made 55 appearances, scoring five goals and providing 11 assists.
While he only wore the captain’s armband on a handful of occasions, he was a talismanic figure throughout a historic campaign. He famously uttered the words “it’s not done” as he rallied his teammates in the aftermath of April’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at title rivals Manchester City. And, he wasn’t wrong!
Arsenal responded by winning their final five league matches, a run that ultimately saw them finish seven points clear at the top of the table.
As well as being voted Arsenal’s Player of the Season, an award that will be presented to him at the start of next season, Rice was named in the Champions League Team of the Season and nominated for both the Premier League and PFA Player of the Season awards.
Well done to Declan. We really did get him half price.