Declan Rice may have divided opinion among some West Ham fans by leaving for Arsenal but he has showed real class.
There is a mutual respect between the vast majority of West Ham fans and Declan Rice.
Even if it is begrudging respect from some Hammers supporters since his defection to London rivals Arsenal.
The reality is that Rice did a lot more for West Ham than many so-called cult heroes and legends down the years.
And the Hammers have done very well with the £105m they got from Arsenal for his services.
Without the sale of Rice there would be no Mohammed Kudus or Edson Alvarez at West Ham.
Both sides have moved on. But Rice made it clear after scoring against West Ham in that 6-0 drubbing that he will always love the club and fans and that scoring was ‘bittersweet’.
Rice showed he still cares about the Hammers by contacting Kevin Nolan and Kalvin Phillips when he joined his old club.
During his time as captain at West Ham the midfield ace also did a lot away from the pitch. And he was a regular presence around the club’s academy sides.
Now Arsenal star Rice has showed his class with a message to a West Ham star after the Freiburg rout.
West Ham’s record 5-0 European win was notable for a host of reasons.
One of those being a senior debut for 19-year-old academy midfielder George Earthy.
The England youth star has already achieved much in his time at the Academy of Football, including winning the FA Youth Cup and the U18 Premier League South title for our all-conquering Under-18 side last season.
Now he has added a senior West Ham – and European – appearance to the list after coming on as a late substitute as the Hammers advanced to the last eight of the Europa League.
After the game Earthy took to Instagram to share his jubilation.
“What a night making my debut for this amazing club,” Earthy said.
“Thank you to the fans for the incredible support. Just the beginning.”
And Rice showed his class by sending Earthy a message of his own.
“Well deserved mate,” the Arsenal man said alongside a love heart emoji.
West Ham’s first team stars such as Alvarez, Vladimir Coufal and Lucas Paqueta to name but a few also responded.
‘More to come Hermano,” Alvarez said.
“What a player,” Paqueta added.
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