Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has backed England teammate Harry Kane to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or Men’s Player of the Year award.
Rice made the comments after helping Arsenal secure a 1-0 win over Napoli in Italy in the UEFA Champions League.
Rice and Kane were both included in the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or earlier this week.
Rice won the English Premier League title with Arsenal in the 2025/26 season and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Meanwhile, Kane, won the German Bundesliga and German Cup with Bayern Munich, scoring 73 goals and providing eight assists in 64 appearances across all competitions last season.
Both players were part of England’s bronze medal winning team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Rice believes Kane deserves to win the prestigious award.
“Yeah for sure [I’m proud to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or for a second year in a row]. I think second year in a row nominated is obviously really proud.”
“You know who I want to win it, I would love to see Harry Kane win it. I’m wishing him all the best in that” Rice said.
