Rio Ferdinand was left astonished by the maturity shown by Myles Lewis-Skelly as Arsenal knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
Arsenal won 2-1 in Madrid on Wednesday night, with goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli either side of a Vinicius Jr. consolation, to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory.
That saw the Gunners reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2009 and just the third time in their history. They next face Paris Saint-Germain in the last four, while Barcelona take on Inter Milan in the other semi-final.
Myles-Skelly started both legs as his stunning breakthrough season reached new heights, and Ferdinand could not hide his admiration.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: “I’m sorry, is Lewis-Skelly really 18?
“His date of birth is right, isn’t it? He looks so calm and so cool in and out of possession. Before the game he was on a call, just talking and chilling. He is special.”
Ferdinand, 46, also heaped praise on Rice, who earned man of the match at the Bernabeu just as he had in the first leg when his two blistering free-kicks helped Arsenal win 3-0.
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“You need games like this in your career,” Ferdinand said of Rice. “You need to get to places like this to be properly judged.
“He’s stood up against the holders of this trophy and he’s not just competed, he’s run the show. He’s run the show in both games.
“He’s put himself in another bracket, I think. After these two games, he’s in another bracket.”