Jack Whitehall's 'never win a trophy' jibe to Declan Rice finally laid to rest

Declan Rice has finally silenced a long-running joke at his expense, after Arsenal clinched the Premier League title at Selhurst Park — with the man who started the jibe celebrating right beside him on the pitch.

Comedian and actor Jack Whitehall, a passionate Arsenal supporter, had previously told Rice during a Comic Relief filming session that he would never get his hands on any silverware. When the Gunners were confirmed as champions, Whitehall was among the friends and family who joined the players’ celebrations, both at Selhurst Park and at the Emirates Stadium, where the party reportedly continued until 5am.

“I saw Declan. I’ve done some filming with him before so I knew him quite a bit,” Whitehall said. “It was for Comic Relief. I had been winding him up about how he was never going to win a trophy. That was a cool full circle moment to be honest with you, as he was getting significant trophies as well.”

Whitehall described his role in the Selhurst Park scenes with characteristic self-deprecation: “I was our team’s version of Salt Bae. Down there, on the pitch, getting in and amongst it as the team celebrated with their friends and family. It was an amazing day and an amazing week.”

For Rice, the title represents the culmination of a difficult journey since his £104 million move from West Ham United in 2023. Before joining Arsenal, the only major honour he had won was the Europa Conference League. At the Gunners, he endured two Premier League runner-up finishes, a League Cup final defeat to Manchester City, and a Champions League semi-final exit before this season’s title triumph.

With England, Rice’s record in finals has been equally painful — he featured in both European Championship finals in which the Three Lions were beaten, by Italy in 2021 and Spain in 2024, and played a key role in the run to the 2022 World Cup quarter-final.

Arsenal’s season is not yet over. The club face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest, a result Whitehall is clearly invested in. “I hope it can continue to be an amazing fortnight in Budapest,” he said. “I left the house last Tuesday, handed my toddler to my wife and I have barely been back since.”