Arsenal booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
After an impressive 3-0 win in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta’s men made the tricky trip to the Bernabeu for the second leg and came away from the Spanish capital with a 2-1 win and a place in the final four of the Champions League.
Declan Rice’s fingerprints were all over the victory as the Englishman produced two amazing free-kicks in the first leg, while putting in a masterful, complete performance in Spain.
The Arsenal midfielder has received plenty of praise for his display and Man City’s Jack Grealish has got in on the act.
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Jack Grealish impressed with Declan Rice’s performance vs Real Madrid
Grealish knows exactly what it takes to win the Champions League having played a key role in Man City winning the competition in 2023.
In the time since, Grealish has fallen in Pep Guardiola’s plans; however, the Man City winger is trying to work his way back to those levels.
Despite his own struggles, the 29-year-old is still happy for his friends and was delighted to see his England teammate Rice shine against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Having watched the Arsenal star put in an impressive display, Grealish posted a photo of the midfielder onto his personal Instagram story with the caption “What a player man” alongside a clapping emoji.
The winger was not the only Man City man to gain some attention after Arsenal’s big night, as Arteta gave a shoutout to Guardiola for the success he has had in his career.
Mikel Arteta called Pep Guardiola before Real Madrid vs Arsenal
Arteta has often praised Guardiola as the Man City boss helped the Arsenal coach at the start of his journey to becoming a manager after bringing the Spaniard to Manchester in 2016 to become his assistant coach before the 43-year-old left for North London in 2019.
Having experienced it all in football, Arteta told the press after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid that he called Guardiola on Wednesday morning for a chat, as he believes the Man City boss is the reason he is experiencing nights like he had at the Bernabeu.
“I called him this morning, because I’m here thanks to him,” Arteta said about Guardiola via Marca. “As a player and coach, he’s an inspiration to me.
“He was the person who bet on me as an assistant – we lived four amazing years. I’ll always be grateful to him, otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
The coaches have crossed paths many times since, with Guardiola coming out on top every time, having won the Premier League over the last two years.
That occasion will certainly not be the last as Arsenal and Man City will be hoping to challenge Liverpool for the title throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
