Graeme Souness driven mad by Declan Rice at Euro 2024 as he slams England midfielder

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has revealed he was "driven mad" by England midfielder Declan Rice after watching his performance during the Euro 2024 final against Spain .

Last weekend, England were outclassed by the best team in the tournament at Euro 2024, with Spain deservedly crowned European Champions after beating the Three Lions 2-1 in Berlin. Goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal either side of Cole Palmer's equalizer set Spain on their way to win their fourth European Championship, resigning England to yet more international heartbreak.

The Three Lions could have relatively little to complain about. While the contest finished 2-1, the gulf in quality, particularly between the two midfields, was evident for anyone watching the clash.

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Manchester City's Rodri and Paris Saint-Germain's Fabian Ruiz ran the show against England, creating the perfect platform for Spain to unleash the likes of Lamine Yamal and Williams. Conversely, England's midfield of Rice and Kobbie Mainoo failed to control the game.

While it would be unfair to criticize Mainoo, a talented 19-year-old with only 35 senior appearances for Manchester United, too harshly, Rice's performances at Euro 2024 left some fans wanting more from the Arsenal star.

And one individual who was "driven mad" by Rice during the European Championship final was Souness, who called out the Arsenal midfielder, and the rest of the England team for their risk-averse performance against Spain.

What did you make of Declan Rice's performances for England this summer? Let us know in the comments section below.

"England were at their best when they went a goal behind," Souness said speaking on Three Up Front, William Hill ’s podcast.

"All of a sudden they started taking risks. They had to be braver and risk making a mistake, risk passing it forward or trying to play someone in. Instead they were just going sideways or backwards and it was driving me mad in the final, as it had done the whole tournament.

"I did some research and found that Declan Rice only completed one forward pass against Spain. One completed forward pass in 90 minutes for a midfield player… that’s impossible!”