Declan Rice has always had this funny contrast around him.
To most casual fans, he still looks like the stereotypical old-school English midfielder — loud on the pitch, aggressive in tackles, constantly screaming instructions, proper London footballer energy.
But over the years, fans have repeatedly noticed another side to him entirely.
Rice has constantly shown hints of being deeply tapped into Black music culture and Caribbean-London vibes despite that very traditional football image.
There have been multiple viral clips over the years of him rapping, dancing to Afrobeats and Amapiano tracks, using London slang naturally in interviews, and fully embracing dressing-room music culture around Black teammates. One viral moment even showed him passionately vibing to the Amapiano hit “Jealousy” while singing and dancing without looking remotely awkward doing it.
Even Arsenal’s own unveiling video for Rice used Nigerian rapper Odumodublvck’s song “Declan Rice,” which became heavily associated with him online. The rapper later revealed the two even became friendly after Rice reacted positively to the track.
So by now, Arsenal fans already know Rice has serious “rasta uncle trapped inside an English midfielder” energy.
That is exactly why the latest clip from Arsenal’s Premier League title celebrations exploded online.
As Arsenal secured the title, videos started emerging from inside the Colney training ground showing the squad dancing, singing, and partying wildly together.
One specific clip instantly stood out.
Rice could be seen alongside Jurriën Timber and goalkeeper Tommy Setford vibing to a song by Noa Lang.
Declan, Jurrien and Setford 😂
— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) May 21, 2026
Rice is just vibes man 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/mahDDbtMbA
And Rice was not just standing there awkwardly.
He was fully grooving.
The shoulder rolls, little bounce steps, relaxed arm swings, head movement — he looked completely locked into the rhythm of the song in a way fans instantly recognized. It was not forced footballer dancing for the camera. It looked natural.
People immediately started joking online that Rice secretly has Jamaican uncle energy.
The song itself is a huge reason the clip blew up.
The track playing was “EWA SAFI” by current Galatasaray striker Noa Lang, who recently released the song under his music alias “Noano.”
For this afrobeat track, the former Napoli man collaborated with Dutch rapper and actor Lil Kleine.
The Galatasaray player is no stranger to the music industry, having already delivered hits with his song Damage (with Ronnie Flex) and Matcha Coco (with Jonna Fraser).
The song Ewa Safi went mainstream after Lang and his Galatasaray teammates were caught vibing to it after the Turkish club’s 26th Süper Lig title win on May 9.
EWAAAAAA SAFIIIIIIIII, L’ENTRÉE DE NOA LANG REJOINT PAR SES COÉQUIPIERS ❤️❤️❤️🥲 pic.twitter.com/WScMouUMpC
— Galatasaray FR 🇫🇷 (@Galatasaray_FR_) May 15, 2026
What works with Ewa Safi is that instead of sounding aggressive or heavy, the track almost floats.
Lang and Lil Kleine produced a laid-back melodic delivery that makes it perfect for dressing-room celebrations, football edits, and late-night car music vibes.
Even the hook has that catchy repetitive flow modern footballers love posting on social media.
“Ewa, safi” is a Moroccan Arabic slang heavily used in Dutch youth culture, roughly translating to “Come on, that’s enough,” or “Alright then.”
That flowing rhythm is exactly why Rice’s body movement matched it so naturally.
Fans also quickly noticed Rice already follows Noa Lang on Instagram, making it obvious this was not some random song playing in the background during celebrations.
Underneath the intense Premier League footballer image, Rice clearly loves the same rhythms, slang, dancing energy, and music culture that dominate elite dressing rooms today.
Which is exactly why Arsenal fans found the clip so weirdly authentic and funny at the same time.
