Declan Rice has revealed the incredible gift he received from pop mega star Ed Sheeran following his heroics for Arsenal against Real Madrid.
Rice and Sheeran's unlikely link up dates back to the England camp during Euro 2020, when the then-West Ham midfielder joined the artist for a duet of the Oasis hit Wonderwall.
'Incredible, amazing, so good, and obviously to see Ed and sing with him was another of the great experiences from the Euros.' Rice told Mail Sport in 2021.
Four years on, Rice - now firmly established as one of the world's best midfielders - has been challenged to play the guitar for their next musical collaboration in a touching message written on the gift from the famed Ipswich Town supporter.
Rice took to Instagram to show off the instrument, which included the note: 'Declan! You play this next time I see you, we'll have a sing song. P.s. killer free-kicks!'
Elaborating on the sequence of events that led him to share the metaphorical stage with one of this generations most successful artists, Rice explained: 'I was late for a meeting and they said, 'you've got to sing'. I said, 'no chance, I'm not singing, I'll do anything but sing'. They were all cracking up.
'Then they went quiet on it. Then Harry Kane organised for Ed to come in and see the lads and have a bit of a chill night and he's gone, 'You've got to get up now and sing'.
'I thought, 'What, in front of everyone?' So we're sat outside on benches and Ed was just playing his guitar and I'm singing Wonderwall.'
The priceless gift comes in the wake of Rice's stunning performances against the European champions. The 25-year-old netted two incredible free-kicks in Arsenal's 3-0 first-leg win over Madrid before dominating the midfield a week later.
The Gunners' 2-1 victory ensured thy cruised into the semi-final where they will meet French champions Paris Saint-Germain.