Rice did ‘12 laps’ rather than watch Arsenal title confirmation

Arsenal v Burnley - Premier League

Declan Rice has revealed the incredible levels of tension he felt while Arsenal waited for Manchester City to slip up and hand the Gunners their first Premier League title in 22 years. The England international admitted he had to physically remove himself from the presence of his team-mates because he simply could not bear to watch the action unfold on television.

Rice’s nervous walk to glory

While most of the Arsenal squad were glued to the screens at London Colney, Rice took a very different approach to the final moments of the title race. The midfielder revealed that the nerves became so overwhelming during Manchester City's decisive clash with Bournemouth that he had to go for a long walk around the training pitches just to keep his cool.

"I took the security guard, Pete, the first 40 minutes we walked every pitch possible. We were just chatting about the most random stuff," Rice revealed to Sky Sports. "And then we hear the roar, so we come back in for the first goal. I was like, same again. And then on the way I was like, ‘I'm telling everyone, sit back in the same spot and all this’. And then literally come back in five minutes to go and it was done, but I just couldn't watch it."

Bukayo Saka described what his team-mate had done as ridiculous, saying: "This guy must have done about 12 laps of the training ground. We were all watching it on TV. He couldn't watch it. It was hilarious."

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Emotional feeling for the midfielder

Rice joined Arsenal in 2023, and described the feeling of winning the Premier League as incredibly emotional after the club had to wait 22 years to experience that atmosphere again. He spoke about Saka, who has been at the club since his youth academy days to get this moment. "Emotional. It was like, it's been 22 years. He's been here since the start. He's an Arsenal boy since, what, six? Seven? So for him, God knows how he must feel, because it's Arsenal legend stuff now for me," Rice noted.

"But for me, I've been here three years and had three narrow losses. So to now win with this team, that's the reason I've come to this club. I knew we'd win. I just knew before. I just felt something good about this club, about these players, and where the players were headed in terms of the trajectory. I knew one way or another we was going to win at some point, and it's come in the most beautiful way."

Saka describes the celebration as crazy

The celebrations did not stop at the training ground, as Saka revealed several players took an impromptu trip to Emirates Stadium in the early hours of the morning to soak in the achievement. What was meant to be a quiet moment of reflection turned into a memorable interaction with the Gunners faithful who had stayed up to celebrate.

"Crazy, crazy. I'm sorry, my voice, I'm still trying to find my voice," Saka stated. "But, yeah, the whole night was special, from the training ground to the night out. And then at the Emirates as well, we just had a great time. For me, I didn't really want to sleep. I didn't need sleep."

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Champions League final awaits

Mikel Arteta's team will lift the Premier League trophy at Crystal Palace on Sunday. With that trophy secured before the final day, the Gunners are now looking ahead to a historic double as they prepare for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30.