Declan Rice should have been completely focused on celebrating Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph at Selhurst Park.
The midfielder played a huge role in Arsenal finally ending their 22-year wait for the trophy and received one of the loudest cheers when lifting the title alongside his teammates.
However, even during the biggest moment of his Arsenal career so far, another club still remained firmly on his mind.
As celebrations continued on the pitch, Rice briefly stepped away from the party. He wanted to check on events elsewhere in the Premier League.
West Ham United, the club where he came through the academy and became captain, entered the final day fighting desperately to avoid relegation.
West Ham did beat Leeds United 3-0. But Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory over Everton confirmed West Ham’s relegation after 14 consecutive years in the division.
Declan Rice was caught on camera listening carefully as Crystal Palace’s stadium announcer read out the final scores from around the country.
However, before the announcement of West Ham’s result, the Arsenal midfielder seemingly realised what had happened.
The England international turned away, visibly frustrated, before gesturing emotionally and walking back towards the pitch.
The footage immediately spread across social media and quickly went viral among football supporters.
Many West Ham fans reacted emotionally after seeing Rice’s response. He left the Hammers to join Arsenal in a £105 million deal back in 2023.
Rice spent almost a decade at West Ham. He came through the academy before eventually becoming one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.
Even after joining Arsenal, he repeatedly maintained a strong connection with the club and supporters.
Now, despite celebrating the biggest domestic achievement of his career, Rice’s reaction once again showed just how much West Ham still means to him.
The midfielder will now quickly switch focus towards Arsenal’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain next weekend as the Gunners chase a historic double.
This really hurts to see man…
Declan Rice finding out West Ham are relegated
He still loves us ⚒️🥹#whu #whufc @_DeclanRice pic.twitter.com/S8BhlbCHBf
— Louis ⚒️ (@louisgalman07) May 24, 2026
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