In Munich, where Bayern and Arsenal shared a 2-2 Champions League draw on Wednesday, Declan Rice left the Allianz Arena with praise for an England teammate who had spent the night as his opponent. The Arsenal midfielder, whose goal secured the visitors’ equaliser in the third matchday of the 2026-27 league phase, believes Harry Kane has made the strongest case for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Rice faced Kane on opposite sides in Bavaria after regularly lining up alongside the Bayern forward for England. Kane played a decisive role in Bayern’s attack, supplying the assist for the opening goal and converting a penalty.
“For me, Harry is the clear winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or,” Rice said. “His numbers speak for themselves. For a striker to produce an assist like that for the first goal and to take the penalty as he did, he is ridiculous. He is such a good player.”
Kane’s scoring record strengthens his case
Kane scored 73 goals in 65 appearances last season and has begun the current campaign with 16 goals from 15 matches. Rice said those figures only tell part of the story of a player whose influence is clear whether he is sharing a side with him or trying to stop him.
“The year he had was remarkable,” Rice said. “Obviously, he is competing with other world-class players. But when you play with him, you realise just how good he is. And when you play against him, you see how much of a nightmare he can be.”
Rice added that the England camp offers him the fortunate side of Kane’s qualities, while European nights such as this one bring the less enjoyable version.
“I am lucky enough to play with him, but I am not so lucky when I have to play against him,” he said.
