Declan Rice Fires Back at Liverpool Legend After Shocking 'Old Man Football' Dig

Declan Rice says football has evolved amid renewed criticism this season from Graeme Souness, a legendary figure from the 1970s and 1980s during his time at Liverpool and elsewhere, and is ultimately trying to tune out the noise—"I can't change his opinion."

Souness has weighed in on Rice's positioning on multiple occasions in recent months, accusing the Arsenal midfielder of functioning as a center back in disguise due to the deep areas he drops into to receive the ball. The 73-year-old Scot, now more than two decades removed from his final managerial role at Newcastle United, insists Rice is "limited" and falls short of being a "complete midfielder."

Souness has claimed this season that Rice is guilty of playing "old man's football" and even labeled 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."

This is far from the first time such criticism has surfaced. Back in 2023, during Rice's final campaign 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 described it as "harsh" at the time.

Rice pushed back when the topic was raised at a press conference ahead of England's UEFA Nations League clash with Spain on Sunday. He noted that Souness played "way before my time" so "can't really say too much" about the three-time European Cup winner's own style of play.

"But if you speak about the position and old man's football, look at Harry Kane for instance," Rice pointed out. "[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."

Rice Has 'Not Bad' Numbers for a 'Center Back'

"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 comprehensive statistics tracked assists, but he netted 100 career goals across 760 appearances for his various clubs and the Scotland national team. Rice has 45 in 495.

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

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

Declan Rice's Goals, Assists Since Start of 2025–26 vs. Selected Arsenal Teammates