Arsenal were beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday, with Noni Madueke and Declan Rice hitting back at critics on social media
Noni Madueke has hit back at critics following Arsenal’s victory parade on Sunday. The Gunners travelled through north London on an open-top bus with the Premier League trophy aloft after bringing their 22-year wait to become champions of England to an end.
Mikel Arteta’s team also had the chance to become champions of Europe the previous evening but had their hearts broken in Budapest. Arsenal were defeated on penalties by holders Paris Saint-Germain, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes failing to convert their spot kicks.
Madueke, significantly wasn’t amongst Arsenal’s five penalty takers – unlike defender Gabriel. The 24-year-old, who entered as a second-half substitute, faced criticism for not volunteering, but he’s now addressed this in a pointed Instagram post.
“Champions! Whilst others are tweeting and posting,” Madueke captioned alongside an image of him and Rice clutching the Premier League trophy. “Thank you God. The glory is yours!”
In the comments section, Rice playfully responded: “Jealously everywhere.” The midfielder, who converted his penalty, included four laughing emojis.
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Spurs defender Djed Spence was also among the critics at full-time, having started the season sharing mocked up ‘penitentiary’ images of some of them behind bars. Bukayo Saka was one of those victims in pre-season and the light-hearted banter continued throughout the campaign.
Following Arsenal’s north London derby victory in February, the Gunners’ official social media account shared a slow-motion clip on X (formerly Twitter) of Spence being dispossessed by Saka and Cristhian Mosquera at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, accompanied by the caption “Locked up” and a padlock emoji.
Spence had to bide his time to respond, and shortly after the final whistle of PSG’s penalty shoot-out triumph over Arsenal in Budapest on Saturday evening, the full-back quoted that February Arsenal post on X, adding nothing more than a pair of wide-open eyes and an open padlock emoji above it.
Rice also issued a warning to Arsenal’s challengers during Sunday’s parade. “They laughed. They are not laughing anymore,” the England international stated.
“I love this team, I love this manager. To see the joy we can give people is crazy. But next year we are coming back for more. Lock in or get locked out.”
Arteta delivered a brief address to the Gunners’ supporters, who had gathered along the streets of north London. “On behalf of the team, this is just amazing to witness,” the Arsenal manager said.
“You have created this. This is your moment to make sure that we all enjoy it together. Have a beautiful day. Let’s go, Arsenal!”
Arsenal will have an opportunity to get their hands on further silverware in the opening fixture of the 2026/27 campaign. The Gunners are scheduled to take on Manchester City in the Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, August 16.
“We are going to use this moment (losing to PSG) to add fuel to the upcoming seasons,” Rice added following the final.
“Speaking to the players, obviously the manager, there is no reason why we are stopping here. Next season we are going to go even stronger and we are going to be ready again so it is exciting times for this club.”