Premier League players have been criticized lately for ignoring their supporters, but West Ham captain Declan Rice showed how it’s done after their victory over Manchester United.
Rice had originally intended to hand over his shirt to opponent and England team-mate Marcus Rashford after the Hammers took a big step towards safety with a 1-0 win.
However, the 24-year-old showed his class by handing over his match-worn shirt to an overjoyed young supporter.
The elated young fan cried during the exchange as he met his hero, and Rice’s kind gesture left him with a memory he will cherish.
It comes after Arsenal stars were labeled “rude” for “snubbing” an eight-year-old while signing her shirt, and after criticism of Leeds players ignoring fans waiting for them at a Bournemouth hotel.
Declan Rice spotted a young West Ham fan crying in the stands and asked him if he was ok before reaching out to the supporter and giving him a hug
After the young fan asked for his shirt, Rice generously handed it to the young fan and told him not to show it to anyone else, as he had promised to give it to Man United’s Marcus Rashford.
Rice saw the youngster crying in the stands and said, “Are you okay, brother?” Why are you crying?’
He then held out his hands to the young fan before hugging him.
Young Hammer then asked for Rice’s shirt to which he replied, “You know what, I promised Rashford.”
“Don’t show them much (other fans) because I just told them I’m going to give it to Rashford, but I’ll give him another one.”
Rice then handed the youngster his shirt before giving him another hug and telling him, “I love you mate.”
Sadly, the West Ham fan didn’t have a pen for Rice to sign the shirt, although the midfielder is willing to sign it at a later date.
He tweeted, “Seeing your boy made my night. This is what it’s all about. Would it be a pleasure to sign it for you.’
The footage has gone viral on social media, with dozens of fans applauding the West Ham captain for his generous performance.
The West Ham fan did not have a pen at the time, although Rice has agreed to sign it at a later date
One person commented, “Love this @_DeclanRice. I’m not a West Ham fan, but I’m a fan of decent people with a big heart. Class act mate.’
Martin Sanders wrote: ‘Absolute class! After what we saw with Leeds players a few weeks ago, this is an absolute breath of fresh air. You can see that Rice is a role model for every player.”
Scott Walsh also tweeted, “Top man. He realizes he’s in a position to give back and that means so much to some.”
Last month, Arsenal players were criticized after the club posted a video of players signing a mascot shirt without acknowledging the young fan as they walked by.
The video drew criticism from celebrities including Laura Woods, Piers Morgan and Nick Knowles, who told Arsenal to ‘give your players one more try to be decent human beings’.
Mascot Olivia Murray’s father defended the club when he tweeted: ‘My daughter had an amazing time as a mascot for @Arsenal. There was only a small window to meet the players and she enjoyed it very much. Odegaard is her favorite player, so it was very special to keep his hand on the field.’
Arsenal players including the side’s captain Martin Odegaard appear to be ignoring a young mascot in footage the club shared this weekend
Olivia’s dad shared a photo of her holding Odegaard’s hand as he defended the stars
Woods, who is an Arsenal fan, admitted she was uncomfortable watching the footage and then contacted the club. Speaking on talkSPORT, she explained their reaction.
“To add a bit of context, I messaged the club because I think they thought ‘they’ve all stopped and signed the shirt, this is great,” said Woods.
“Maybe that in itself is the problem that there is now a gap between what you have to do for those kinds of mascots. The club did say it’s part of a matchday experience, so that’s not the only interaction they’ve had with the players.
“She was a mascot, she went on the field with them, she would have been on the field with them during the warm-up.”
“I think there’s a lot of things that we don’t see, but that doesn’t excuse that video because I watched it a few times and thought in my head, ‘Oh wait, was it cut off after that, maybe they done that.” [acknowledge her]?”
“And I went back and looked at it, and she didn’t.”
Meanwhile, another clip on social media showed members of the Leeds first team tucking away supporters who had been waiting in the hotel lobby to say hello.
Leeds United players were filmed ignoring fans who had gathered at the team hotel to say hello
Despite a number of young fans waving and calling out the names of the players, no one responded
The players were filmed walking to the hotel entrance in complete silence, despite numerous supporters trying to get their attention.
The majority of the Leeds team wore headphones and avoided eye contact as they made their way to the door.
A younger member of the small crowd gathered to greet the team waved to the departing Leeds players, but no one even looked in his direction.
Morgan led the criticism of the Leeds side, labeling the players ‘selfish arrogant p****s’.
The Leeds players later apologized in a statement on the club’s website, admitting ‘there is no excuse’ for the way they ignored their fans.