Tottenham cult hero Rafael van der Vaart slams ‘useless’ Declan Rice and questions £100m Arsenal spend. Rafael van der Vaart delivered a damning view of Declan Rice following England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
The Netherlands legend and ex-Tottenham midfielder branded the 25-year-old as ‘useless’ and insisted he was not worth the £100million Arsenal paid for him. Rice started in England’s 2-1 loss to Spain on Sunday night – the second successive European Championship final he has lost in.
And while he has been a consistent performer for England in Germany, he struggled against Luis de la Fuente’s side at the Olympiastadion.
His display has led to a furious reaction from former Real Madrid maestro and Spurs cult hero Van der Vaart. Arsenal signed Rice from West Ham last summer in a £100million deal – with a further £5m to be paid in potential add-ons.
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And Van der Vaart doesn’t believe it was money well spent due to his style of play – despite Rice widely regarded as one of the signings of the 2023/24 season.
Speaking on Dutch TV channel NOS following the Euro 2024 final, the 41-year-old said: “£100m for Declan Rice… What does he do? He comes to collect a ball only to pass it back to John Stones.
“He is useless. If you are truly worth £100m, then you should be able to play a ball forward.”
Rice has been one of England’s top players since his debut in 2019
Van der Vaart also questioned Jude Bellingham operating as a number ten for England, saying: “Jude Bellingham is not someone who’s there for the smooth touches, he’s just a strong lad who keeps going 90 mins long. The number 10 on his back is debatable. Sure, he can wear a number 10, but for me he is not a number 10.”
Rice started each of England’s seven matches at Euro 2024, where he played alongside three different midfielders in the middle of the park.
He started off the tournament alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, before Conor Gallagher came in, with Kobbie Mainoo his partner for the last four matches.
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