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 teammate afterward Arsenal’s Champions League match with Bayern Munichinsisting that Kane’s goal numbers and overall 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’s had has been remarkable. When you play with him you realize how good he is and when you play against him you see the pain he causes.
“It’s ridiculous, he’s such a good player and I’m lucky to be able to play with him, not so lucky to play against him.”
Rice explains Arsenal’s goal against Bayern Munich
Rice also spoke about his own performance, revealing how Arsenal’s tactical approach has helped them find space against Bayern’s man-to-man marking system.
“When you play against teams that 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 kept running and I went to my runner and then I went into the goal. Very happy.”
The midfielder reserved particular praise for Gyokeres, whose movement helped create the opportunity for Rice to score.
“Gyokeres has had such a good impact off the bench. He made some great runs tonight and set up the goal for me.”
Rice believes Arsenal’s willingness to attack Bayern on their own turf reflects the mentality Mikel Arteta has instilled in the squad.
“It’s what the manager has drilled into us. We’re not 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 an account of ourselves was really good. We have to keep going.”
