"If you are truly worth €100M, then you should be able to play a ball forward" - Van der Vaart slams England star, labels him 'useless'
Former Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has slammed England star Declan Rice, labeling the 25-year-old as 'useless.' The criticism came after the Three Lions suffered a 2-1 loss against Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday, June 14.
After a goalless first half, Spain broke the deadlock through Nico Williams in the 47th minute. England found their equalizer in the 73rd as Cole Palmer found the back of the net. The Chelsea star netted just three minutes after replacing Kobbie Mainoo on the pitch. Mikel Oyarzabal then scored the winning goal for La Roja in the 86th minute.
Declan Rice flattered to deceive against Spain as England suffered their second consecutive Euro final defeat. The defensive midfielder signed for Premier League giants Arsenal from West Ham United for a reported initial £100 million fee in July 2023. The transfer fee was a club record, which made Rice the most expensive English player, equalling the previous record held by Jack Grealish.
Rafael van der Vaart criticized the English midfielder's gameplay and said (via AFC Ajax):
"€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."
England ended up as runners-up once again after their loss against Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
Gareth Southgate opens up after England's Euro 2024 final loss against Spain
Gareth Southgate opened up about his future as England national team head coach after the Three Lions' Euro 2024 final loss against Spain. The 53-year-old manager said (via Sky News):
"It's hard to reflect so soon after a defeat like this. To take England to two finals has never been done [in the men's game]. But we came here to win, and we haven't been able to do that."
When asked about his opinion on his squad's performance in the continental competition, Southgate said:
"They've reached the first final away from England. A second final in two tournaments is incredible, really. They've played 14 matches in the last two European Championships and we've lost in the last five minutes of the 14th game. We weren't beaten other than in penalties in that period. It's an incredible run."
"But at the moment I have to say in my head none of that matters because we had an opportunity to win and we haven't been able to take it," added the English coach.
With England's loss in the Euro 2024 final, Southgate became the only manager to have lost two finals in the competition's history.