While most of his Arsenal teammates were glued to screens at London Colney, watching the final moments of the title race, Declan Rice adopted a truly unique coping strategy. The midfield maestro disclosed that the tension became so unbearable during Manchester City’s crucial match that he chose to walk the training grounds to keep his composure.

“I took the security guard, Pete, and for the first 40 minutes, we walked around every pitch possible. We were just talking about anything and everything,” Rice recounted. “Then we heard the roar, so we came back for the first goal. I thought to myself, ‘Here we go again.’ On the way back, I promised myself I’d tell everyone to stay put. We returned with five minutes left, it was sealed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to watch.”

His teammate, Bukayo Saka, found the scene “ridiculous,” explaining, “He must have done about twelve laps of the training ground. We were all watching the game on TV. He just couldn’t watch it. It was hilarious.”

Signed by Arsenal in 2023, Rice described the Premier League triumph as an “incredibly emotional” moment, ending a 22-year drought for the club. He particularly lauded Saka’s journey, a product of the club’s academy since a young age: “He’s been here since the start, since he was six or seven years old. Imagine what he’s feeling; this is truly Arsenal now.” Rice elaborated, “It’s emotional. We’ve waited 22 years for this. He’s been here from the beginning, a true academy product, since he was six or seven, I believe. So for him, God knows what he’s feeling, because for me, he’s a genuine Arsenal legend.”

“As for myself, I’ve been here for three years and experienced three narrow final losses. So, to win it today with this group is the very reason I came. I knew we would achieve it. I just felt it. I had a strong intuition about this club, these players, and the direction they were heading. I knew we’d eventually get there, and it happened in the most beautiful way.”