Euro 2024: Van der Vaart brands £100m England star ‘useless’

England and Arsenal star Declan Rice, valued at over £100m, has been harshly criticized by former Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart. Following England’s disappointing performance in the Euro 2024 championship, van der Vaart labeled Rice as a “useless” player, accusing him of only being comfortable with back passes to defenders.

England lost 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday. Nico Williams scored for Spain in the 47th minute, but England equalized in the 73rd minute through Cole Palmer. Mikel Oyarzabal then netted the winning goal for Spain in the 86th minute.

Rice, who joined Arsenal from West Ham last summer for a reported initial fee of £100 million, has faced criticism for his performance in the final. Van der Vaart, reacting angrily, suggested that Rice is not worth his hefty price tag. Speaking via AFC Ajax, he said, “€100M for Declan Rice. What does he do? He comes to collect a ball only to pass it back to John Stones. He is useless. If you are truly worth €100M, then you should be able to play a ball forward.”