Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice believes Harry Kane should win the Ballon d’Or, describing the England captain’s performances over the past year as “remarkable”.
Rice praised his international team-mate after Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, insisting Kane’s goalscoring numbers and overall quality make him the standout candidate for the award.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Rice made his feelings clear when asked whether Kane deserves to be recognised as the world’s best player.
“He is the clear winner,” Rice said.
“His numbers speak for themselves, the year he has had has been remarkable. When you play with him you realise how good he is and when you play against him you see how much of a pain it is.
“He is ridiculous, such a good player and I am lucky I can play with him, not so lucky I have to play against him.”
Rice explains Arsenal goal against Bayern Munich
Rice also discussed his own performance, revealing how Arsenal’s tactical approach helped him find space against Bayern’s man-to-man marking system.
“When you play against teams who are man to man all over the pitch you have to apply certain principles,” he explained.
“They follow you all over the pitch but I lost my man and I just kept running and lot my runner and then I was in on the goal. So happy.”
The midfielder reserved particular praise for Gyokeres, whose movement helped create the opportunity for Rice to score.
“Gyokeres has been making such a good impact coming off the bench. He made some great runs tonight and set me up for the goal.”
Rice believes Arsenal’s willingness to attack Bayern on their own ground reflects the mentality Mikel Arteta has instilled in the squad.
“It is what the manager has drilled into us. We aren’t just going to come here and sit,” he added.
“At home they are probably one of the best teams in Europe so to come here tonight and give that account of ourselves was really good. We have to keep going.”
