London, September 30, 2025 — In a heartwarming glimpse into football’s unspoken brotherhood, Arsenal’s midfield colossus Declan Rice revealed that two genuine legends—one from Liverpool’s pantheon and the other from Chelsea’s—slid into his direct messages with glowing praise following his jaw-dropping performance in the Gunners’ 2-1 derby win over Manchester City last weekend. The 26-year-old Englishman, whose £105 million transfer from West Ham in 2023 has gone from gamble to genius, revealed the news during a candid interview on Amazon Prime’s No Compliance podcast, where he discussed his brace of long-range rockets that silenced the Etihad and propelled Mikel Arteta’s side to within a point of Premier League leaders Liverpool. As X erupts with #RiceDMs and fans speculate on the identities—whispers point to Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté—Rice’s revelation highlights the respect he’s commanded across the divide, providing a rare glimpse behind the curtain of Premier League rivalries amid Arsenal’s surging title bid.
The Etihad epic on September 27 was Rice’s magnum opus: a man-of-the-match masterclass in which the ex-Ireland international neutralised Rodri’s metronomic menace, clocked 14.2 km (highest on the pitch), and unleashed two thunderbolts—a 35-yard curler in the 18th minute to open the scoring, and a 92nd-minute piledriver that sealed the spoils after Erling Haaland’s 78th-minute header had sparked Etihad pandemonium. Arsenal’s first win at City’s citadel since 2015 propelled them to 19 points from seven games, one behind Arne Slot’s Reds, and Rice’s double—his first of the season—received unanimous plaudits. “Declan’s not just a No. 6; he’s a game-changer,” Arteta exclaimed after the game, while Pep Guardiola, magnanimous in defeat, joked, “That second goal? Unfair. “He is too good for us mortals.”
Rice, chatting to hosts Laura Woods and Jimmy Bullard on the podcast that aired today, couldn’t hide his childish grin as the DM downpour hit. “After City, my phone was blowing up—mates, family, even some old academy lads from Chelsea,” he revealed, his Cockney accent tinged with humility. “What about the genuine shock? A Liverpool icon and a Chelsea great have both sent me direct messages. Proper messages, too—not general ‘well done’ statements. The Liverpool fan said, ‘That was Henderson-esque—keep bossing it, youngster.’ And the Chelsea guy? Kanté would be proud; you owned the midfield as if it were your own. It made my week, honestly. These are the players I grew up idolising: Jordan’s leadership at Anfield, N’Golo’s bite at the Bridge. To obtain that from them? Surreal.”
While Rice coyly avoided naming names—”Can’t spill all the tea”—the grapevine points squarely to Henderson, Liverpool’s treble-winning skipper (2019 UCL, 2020 PL) who now captains Ajax after his Al-Ettifaq stint, and Kanté, the diminutive destroyer whose 2016-17 Chelsea rampage netted a PL title and 2022 World Cup glory before his Al-Ittihad departure. Henderson, a strong Rice supporter since their England caps (Rice’s 50th came in March), tweeted after the match: “Declan’s levels are unreal—proper engine.” Kanté, ever the quiet assassin, uploaded Rice’s goal video with a heart emoji, fuelling conjecture. The podcast footage, shared by @AmazonPrimeVideoUK, had 3.2 million views in hours, with fans debating: “Henderson and Kanté?” Rice is the bridge between eras, and he deserves our highest esteem.” f96d70
The timing coincides with Arsenal’s red-hot September: back-to-back wins over Tottenham (3-0) and City have Arteta’s Invincibles 2.0 roaring, with Rice at the helm—3.8 tackles, 91% pass accuracy, and now goals that echo his West Ham thunder (7 in 2022-23). However, Rice’s journey—from Chelsea academy reject at 14 (a scar he proudly carries, according to his 2024 The Players’ Tribune piece) to West Ham captain and Arsenal linchpin—adds tragic dimensions to the DM. “Chelsea let me go; Liverpool were rivals I dreamed of facing,” he thought. “Do they get props from their icons? “Closure, mate.” Henderson, who coached Rice at Euro 2020, and Kanté, whose persistence Rice admires (both 5’10” destroyers), represent the English midfield lineage—from Gerrard to Lampard, now Rice’s area.
X became a love-in under #RiceLegends, with 2.1 million posts by nightfall. @ArsenalNation’s thread—”DMs from Hendo and Kante?” Rice is THE midfielder. Gunners title loading” received 450,000 likes, while Liverpool’s @KopiteCentral joked, “Jordan slipping in? Even in Amsterdam, he’s leading England chats. Chelsea supporters, wounded by their 12th-place mire (7 points, Caicedo banned, Palmer out), found solace: @CFCBlueBlood: “Kanté on rice?” Our boy is the future—Boehly, splash for him!” On Match of the Day, pundit Alan Shearer exclaimed, “Those DMs say it all—Rice is generational.” “The city’s loss is our gain. Even Slot, getting ready for Palace, nodded: “Declan’s form? Liverpool respects that.”
Rice’s candour fits his grounded vibe: he’s a family man (with fiancée Lauren Fry and children in Hertfordshire), a mental health advocate (partnering with Mind following academy knocks), and a community builder (his DR3 Foundation raised £500,000 for Kingston youth this year). The show delved deeper: Rice on his Euro 2028 dreams (“Captaining England?” Manifesting”), Arteta’s “mind games” (“Mikel is like a father—tough love”), and City scars (“Haaland’s a beast; that second goal? Pure revenge”). But the DMs stole the show, humanising a titan who is 15/2 to win Premier League Player of the Season (according to Bet365).
Wider ripples? Arsenal’s title challenge heats up, with away games against Southampton and Liverpool at Anfield coming up in November. Rice’s brace weakened City’s invincibility (unbeaten in 25 Premier League games prior to the loss), reducing the lead to three points. Rivals: Liverpool’s Slot sees Rice as “the benchmark”; Chelsea’s Maresca, amid Boehly’s £250 million spending binge, regrets the academy’s failure (“Declan’s what we need now”). Globally, Sky Italia declares: “Rice: L’Inghilterra’s Pirlo—DMs from gods confirm it.”
Rice trains alone tonight, the Emirates floodlights humming, his phone buzzing with new prop ideas. His journey from academic pariah to legend-magnet is inspiring: skill triumphs, but humility captivates. What about those DMs? Not simply praise—passports to the pantheon. Arsenal soars, and Rice reigns. A simple slide speaks volumes in the football fraternity: raw and genuine respect.
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