Declan Rice was at the centre of attention during West Ham’s Premier League game against Arsenal.
The England international spent nine years with the Hammers before moving to Arsenal for £105 million in 2023.
Even though he was arguably West Ham’s best player, the fans at the London Stadium booed him whenever he touched the ball.
Rice also raised eyebrows with a bizarre moment immediately after kick-off at the start of the game.
Sum up your feelings on that result if you can… 😢
Heartbroken is an understatement! 💔
What Declan Rice did straight from kick-off against West Ham
Arsenal did something completely unusual seconds after the referee blew the whistle at the London Stadium.
Players have often kicked the ball towards the corner flag from kick-off recently, but Rice had other ideas.
The 27-year-old flicked the ball up and kicked it up into the sky towards West Ham’s penalty area.
We cannot say with any confidence that it has never happened before, but it was certainly unusual.
One can only assume it was designed to gain a territorial advantage, putting the Hammers’ backline under pressure.
On this occasion, West Ham dealt with it comfortably as Jean-Clair Todibo dispossessed Leandro Trossard.
Like everything else in football, Rice’s ploy could soon be copied by the rest of the league, as strange as it was.
Elsewhere, the midfielder did not do much else of significance throughout the game, but Arsenal still found a way to win.
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