Declan Rice Hits Back at Liverpool Legend Over Bizarre ‘Old Man Football’ Insult

Declan Rice says soccer has moved on amid more criticism this season from Graeme Souness, a legend of the 1970s and 1980s from his time with Liverpool and others, and is ultimately trying to rise above the noise—“I can’t change his opinion.”

Souness has commented on Rice’s role more than once in recent months, accusing the Arsenal midfielder of being a center back in disguise because of the deep positions he takes to receive the ball. The 73-year-old Scot, now 20 years removed from his last managerial position at Newcastle United, claims Rice is “limited” and not the “complete midfielder.”

Souness has said this season that Rice is guilty of playing “old man’s football” and even branded it a form of “cheating” … “He’s sitting between two center-halves or between the center-half and the full-back. A lot of the time, he doesn’t play in midfield.”

It’s not new criticism either. Back in 2023, when Rice was in his final season with West Ham United, Souness wrote in a newspaper column that modern midfielders must score, create and defend. “For me, Rice has just one of them.” The player called it “harsh” at the time.

Rice defended himself when the issue was raised at a press conference prior to England facing Spain in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday. He said that Souness played “way before my time” so “can’t really say too much” about the three-time European Cup winner’s own way of playing.

“But if you speak about the position and old man’s football, look at Harry Kane for instance,” Rice highlighted. “[Arsenal] played [Bayern Munich] the other week. He dropped next to the center backs 20, 30 times in the game to pick up the ball.

“The game is different now,” he added.

“The game demands that you get away from who’s marking you, go into different areas to create overloads, to create two vs. ones and progress the ball up the pitch. Football’s way different. It’s changed a lot and you’re always trying to look for tactical advantages.

“[Souness] had his opinion probably since my West Ham days, but it’s one of those things. As an ex-pro, you’re going to have an opinion on something. I’ve seen his views. I can’t change his opinion. I can only do what I do, go on the pitch, perform, play well and block out the noise.”

“If you talk about my numbers at Arsenal since I joined, they speak for themselves,” Rice said.

“I think for a ‘center back’ that’s not bad numbers. I think I’ve had a lot of assists. A lot of goals, and to be a top-class ‘center back,’ getting those numbers, I’m delighted!” he joked.

Souness played long before detailed statistics recorded assists, but he scored 100 career goals in 760 appearances for his various clubs and the Scotland national team. Rice has 45 in 495.

Rice, with eight England goals, at least has double Souness’s international tally. Six of his England goals have also come in his last 33 appearances alone.

Rice has scored 37 club goals to date, averaging around seven per season since joining Arsenal. During Rice’s time with the Gunners, center backs William Saliba and Gabriel have combined for 19 goals across all competitions, compared to his 22. Rice has 36 assists in Arsenal colors.