Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice believes Harry Kane should win the Ballon d’Or, describing the England captain’s performances over the past year as “fantastic”.
Rice praised his international team-mate after Arsenal’s Champions League match with Bayern Munich, insisting that Kane’s goal-scoring numbers and all-round quality make him the leading candidate for the award.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Rice made his feelings clear when asked if Kane deserves to be recognized as the best player in the world.
“He’s the clear winner,” Rice said.
“His numbers speak for themselves, the year he had was amazing. When you play with him you realize how good he is and when you play against him you see how much pain he is in.
He added: “He is a ridiculous player, such a good player and I am lucky that I can play with him, but not lucky that I have to play against him.”
Rice explains Arsenal’s goal against Bayern Munich
Rice also discussed his performance, revealing how Arsenal’s tactical approach helped him create space in front of Bayern’s man-to-man marking system.
“When you play against teams that deal man-to-man all over the pitch, you have to apply certain principles,” he explained.
“They follow you all over the field but I lost my leg and kept running and caught the runner and then scored. Very happy.”
The midfielder particularly praised Geokris, whose movement helped create the opportunity for Rice to score.
“Gyokeris made a good impact coming on as a substitute. He made some great runs tonight and set up the goal for me.”
Rice believes Arsenal’s willingness to attack Bayern at home reflects the mentality that Mikel Arteta has instilled in the team.
He added, “This is what the coach instilled in us. We will not come here and just sit.”
“At home, they are probably one of the best teams in Europe, so to come here tonight and present this image of ourselves was really good. We have to keep going.”
