Declan Rice repeats Champions League feat from Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar that Messi never achieved

This Tuesday, Arsenal delivered one of the biggest surprises of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League. They defeated Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinals, with a brilliant performance from Declan Rice. The English midfielder achieved an impressive feat that had only been accomplished by stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, but never by Lionel Messi.

Declan scored two free kicks just 12 minutes apart during the second half of the match at Emirates Stadium in London. This gave the Gunners a commanding lead and set up a crucial victory, which was later sealed by Mikel Merino with the third goal.

In doing so, Rice became the fifth player in history to score two direct free kicks in a single Champions League match. This represents such a rare achievement that even Lionel Messi, the third-highest free-kick scorer of all time, was never able to accomplish it.

Who else has scored two free-kick goals in a UCL match before Rice?

Before Tuesday, April 8, 2025, only four players had managed to score two direct free kicks in a single UEFA Champions League match. The first was Brazilian legend Rivaldo, who did it in 2000 for Barcelona against AC Milan.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice

In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo joined that exclusive list. The Portuguese forward was in his first season with Real Madrid when he scored two free kicks against Zurich of Switzerland in a 5-2 away win during the group stage.

see also

Arsenal destroy Real Madrid in Champions League quarterfinal first leg: Funniest memes and reactions

Neymar achieved the same feat in 2018 for Paris Saint-Germain against Red Star Belgrade, while the most recent example came in 2023 when Hakim Ziyech, playing for Galatasaray of Turkey, scored twice from free kicks in a match against Manchester United.

What’s next for Real Madrid after the defeat to Arsenal?

The three-goal deficit after the first leg leaves Real Madrid in a highly difficult position. They will need to secure the same goal difference in the second leg next Wednesday to force a penalty shootout, or win by four or more goals to advance directly to the semifinals.

In between, they will also have to visit Alaves in La Liga on Sunday. While the Champions League is the priority at the moment, the Merengues cannot afford to neglect the Spanish league, as they are currently in second place, 4 points behind Barcelona. A slip-up could leave them out of the title race and make this season even more disappointing.