Ian Wright says Arsenal star has silenced ‘disrespectful’ critics with Real Madrid displays

Ian Wright says ‘nobody can ever question’ Declan Rice’s credentials again following the midfielder’s heroics in Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final win over Real Madrid.

Rice scored a pair of breathtaking free-kicks to inspire Arsenal to a resounding first-leg victory over the holders on a famous night at the Emirates last week.

At the Bernabeu, Rice picked up where he left off, getting the better of England colleague Jude Bellingham in the middle of the park, as the Gunners ran out comprehensive 2-1 (5-1 aggregate) winners in the Spanish capital.

Rice’s remarkable two-legged display helped secure Arsenal a place in last four of Europe’s premier competition for the first time since as far back as 2009, when the club were eventually knocked out by Manchester United.

This year, Mikel Arteta’s men are set to do battle against Paris Saint-Germain for a place in the final, where they would face either Inter Milan or Barcelona.

Rice will have had his heart in his mouth when referee Francois Letexier adjudged that he had fouled Kylian Mbappe inside the penalty area midway through the first half.

But the decision was overturned following a lengthy VAR check and Rice went on to be named man of the match for a second time in the tie, after scooping the award seven days earlier in north London.

‘Nobody can ever question him,’ legendary ex-Arsenal striker Wright said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.

‘You see all these podcasters being disrespectful, but Declan Rice, over two games, absolutely wiped the floor with that team with his performance.

‘It was a performance where you’re looking at a player and you’re thinking: yeah, we know he’s good and he’s getting better.

‘We saw the two goals last week that we haven’t seen before.

‘We’ve seen on a weekly basis that he’s just improving and getting better in any position that he’s asked to play in, whether that’s crashing the box, whether it’s six, whether it’s eight.

‘He was everywhere! He was everywhere! As we sit here right now, he is in the top three midfielders in the world.’

Myles Lewis-Skelly further enhanced his reputation as one of the finest young players in European football with yet another assured performance in Madrid that belied his years.

Wright was ‘astonished’ by Lewis-Skelly’s showing on the grandest stage and felt the 18-year-old ‘locked down’ two of Madrid’s biggest stars in Rodrygo and Bellingham.

‘I’ve got to say, I’m astonished at Myles Lewis-Skelly. I’m astonished by his performances.

‘I don’t know if it’s just the exuberance of youth or the fact that he fact that he is so wise and he is so knowledgable and he is so intelligent.

‘And obviously you can see that with him on the football pitch as well.

‘But for him to be playing in a game like that… he locked down Rodrygo, he went inside into the midfield, he was up against Jude and I think he won that battle.

‘I’m just thinking to myself, “What’s going on at Hale End?! What have they got in the water with these guys that is coming through?!”, because this is astounding, this is unbelievable what we’re seeing from Myles Lewis-Skelly.’

Wright believes it’s ‘no coincidence’ that Gabriel Martinelli is looking back to his frightening best with Lewis-Skelly behind him on the left-hand side.

‘When [Riccardo] Calafiori came into the team for that little spell, you could see the flicker, the flint hitting the wood,’ the former England forward continued.

‘Something was happening, he [Martinelli] started to be more involved and he looked more dangerous.

‘Since Myles Lewis-Skelly has been in the team, it’s no coincidence, again, all of a sudden, Martinelli is looking like the Martinelli that we always thought was coming and finishing like he finished there.

‘He [Martinelli] is playing with that confidence. He feels like he can take anyone on and score any time he gets a chance. He’s got that confidence about him.

‘It’s because he’s got the left-footed player on that same side as him who can invert, go outside. It’s working wonders for him. Our left side works now. It works!’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.