Video of the Steven Gerrard-esque Declan Rice goal from every angle is a sight to behold for West Ham fans and nostalgic for Liverpool.
Last season West Ham talisman Rice started earning comparisons with Liverpool great Gerrard.
Given more freedom to use his athletic frame to rampage around the pitch, the likeness – at times – was uncanny to a young Gerrard who would go on to cement his place as a Liverpool and Premier League legend.
Rice is certainly well on his way to that status at West Ham and possibly even with England too. And at 23, he has plenty of years ahead of him.
Liverpool legend Gerrard has admitted he is a massive fan of Rice, calling him ‘superb’ last season.
Gerrard even joked that he hoped Rice will still be playing if he ever gets the chance to manage England one day.
The feeling between West Ham’s captain and Liverpool’s former leader is mutual.
When asked in an interview with The Telegraph last term if he was trying to emulate anyone in particular, Rice was unequivocal in naming Liverpool legend Gerrard as his inspiration.
“Now I have gone more box-to-box (midfielder) I have been watching Steven Gerrard just because of how good he was,” Rice told The Telegraph.
“He had everything. He could tackle, was tenacious, was fast, was a leader, could score goals, he wore his heart on his sleeve.
“He was just unbelievable. He was one of the greats but you don’t actually really fully appreciate him until you watch him. I watched the likes of Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira in terms of driving forward with the ball, their silkiness, when to hold people off, when to run with it, when to play the passes.
“But for all-round play Gerrard is the one I aspire to be.”
Well there was more than a hint of that as West Ham’s midfield ace opened his account for the season in the 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday.
Rice rescued his side during a frustrating performance just as Gerrard did so often with Liverpool.
And video showing the Gerrard-esque Rice goal from every angle is sight to behold for West Ham fans and nostalgic for Liverpool.
West Ham posted a video showing Rice’s belter from a host of different camera angles.
Liverpool fans will see the unerring similarities between the movement, power, athleticism and strike from Rice and that which they used to enjoy from their famous captain.
Gerrard scored 211 goals for club and country as a player – 185 of them for Liverpool and 21 for England.
Rice has 13 so far, 11 for West Ham and two for the Three Lions. He has been a more defensive player than perhaps Gerrard was and is playing in a different era.
But there is no reason why Rice cannot get past the 100-goal mark in his career. As he showed with his Gerrard-esque strike against the Saints he has that in the locker.
Let’s hope there will be many more like that in a West Ham shirt.
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