The Arsenal duo, Noni Madueke and Declan Rice, have responded to the criticism they faced after their team's penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Madueke, who was not among the penalty takers, faced criticism for not volunteering, but he addressed this in a pointed Instagram post, captioning an image of him and Rice with the Premier League trophy, 'Champions! Thank you God. The glory is yours!'. Rice, who converted his penalty, playfully responded with four laughing emojis, 'Jealously everywhere'.
The criticism came from Tottenham defender Djed Spence, who had been sharing mocked-up 'penitentiary' images of Arsenal players behind bars, including Bukayo Saka, during the season. After Arsenal's north London derby victory in February, Spence shared a slow-motion clip of Spence being dispossessed by Saka and Cristhian Mosquera, captioned 'Locked up' with a padlock emoji. After the Champions League final, Spence quoted the February post on X, adding a pair of wide-open eyes and an open padlock emoji.
Rice also issued a warning to Arsenal's challengers during the team's victory parade, stating, 'They laughed. They are not laughing anymore. I love this team, I love this manager. To see the joy we can give people is crazy. But next year we are coming back for more. Lock in or get locked out'.
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, delivered a brief address to the Gunners' supporters, saying, 'On behalf of the team, this is just amazing to witness. You have created this. This is your moment to make sure that we all enjoy it together. Have a beautiful day. Let's go, Arsenal!'.
Despite the loss, Rice added, 'We are going to use this moment (losing to PSG) to add fuel to the upcoming seasons. Speaking to the players, obviously the manager, there is no reason why we are stopping here. Next season we are going to go even stronger and we are going to be ready again so it is exciting times for this club'.
The article concludes by highlighting the team's determination to bounce back stronger and the excitement that lies ahead for the club.
