'/%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient%20id='prefix__paint0_linear_4737_37157'%20x1='3.018'%20y1='23.6'%20x2='44.925'%20y2='24.977'%20gradientUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%3e%3cstop%20stop-color='%231CB7FF'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='.502'%20stop-color='%232FF58B'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Declan Rice sends message to Kevin De Bruyne after Arsenal beat Napoli
Sep 10 2026 12:48 · By Chris Davie · 2 Reads
Declan Rice says Kevin De Bruyne caused Arsenal ‘a lot of problems’ (Prime Video)
Declan Rice insists Kevin De Bruyne still caused Arsenal problems during their 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League.
Martin Odegaard’s late strike sealed the victory for Mikel Arteta’s side in the first game of the Champions League league phase on Wednesday night.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, was handed his first start of the campaign after making only three appearances as a substitute in Serie A this season.
Rice has extensive experience of facing De Bruyne following their time together in the Premier League and the Arsenal midfielder admits it was ‘nice’ to play against his former rival once again.
Asked about playing against De Bruyne, Rice said: ‘Yeah, good, really good.
‘A player that, even tonight, even though we won, he caused a lot of problems still. A player that’s so smart, moves into really good spaces.
Mikel Arteta shared a friendly exchange with Kevin De Bruyne after Arsenal beat Napoli (Getty)
‘It was realy nice to see him again after playing against him for so long.’