Arsenal star Declan Rice has revealed that he was told to cross the ball into the box before curling a sensational free-kick beyond Thibaut Courtois against Real Madrid on Tuesday night. The England international bagged a brace of brilliant free kicks to help his side to a 3-0 lead at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the Gunners’ Champions League quarter-final tie.

Rice opened the scoring in the 58th minute when sweeping a smart free-kick around the towering Madrid wall to send the Emirates Stadium into a frenzy. He then doubled his tally of career free-kick goals just 12 minutes later when smashing a fierce effort into the top corner before Mikel Merino put the game to bed.

Speaking after the game, Rice revealed that he was told by several of his teammates, including Martin Odegaard, to attempt to deliver a cross rather than shoot. However, after some words of encouragement from Bukayo Saka, he changed his mind and decided to shoot.

He told Amazon Prime: “It’s been in the locker, but I’ve hit the wall too many times or it’s gone over the bar. Originally we were going to cross it and then I’ve just seen the wall and the goalkeeper’s position. So I thought just go for it. And Bukayo [Saka] said to just feel it.

“The second one I had the confidence. I hit it. It’s not going to hit me now because there’s another leg to go. I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m over the moon. But in a few years’ time this will really hit me that what I’ve done tonight was really special.”

Rice went on to reveal that he also had a different plan up his sleeve for the second free kick as well, but the positioning of Kylian Mbappe forced him into striking the ball.

Whilst watching a replay of the strike, the ex-West Ham star explained: “It looks far out, you don’t even realise. Do you know what. We were going to touch and set it. Me and Martin [Odegaard]. But Mbappe was kind of stuck too close.

“But then I thought I’ve got the keeper’s side, I practice this so much, I was going to go for it. I had the confidence from the first one. If it went over the bar it wouldn’t matter.”