Declan Rice has given Harry Kane his emphatic backing to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or after witnessing another outstanding all-round display from his England captain in Arsenal’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich.
Kane was directly involved in both Bayern goals at the Allianz Arena, producing a brilliant defence-splitting pass for Alphonso Davies before confidently converting a second-half penalty.
Rice eventually rescued Arsenal with an 82nd-minute equaliser, but afterwards he was full of admiration for his international teammate.
Rice gives emphatic Kane Ballon d’Or verdict
Speaking to TNT Sports following Wednesday night’s game, Rice made it clear who he believes deserves football’s biggest individual prize.
Declan Rice: “For me, Harry is the clear winner of the Ballon d’Or 2026”.
“His numbers speak for themselves. For a striker to play that pass for their first goal then take the penalty how he did… he’s ridiculous, he’s such a good player, insane!”, told TNT Sports.
It is easy to understand Rice’s argument. Kane enjoyed an extraordinary 2025/26 campaign, scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern while helping the German giants win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.
According to the Bundesliga’s breakdown of Kane’s remarkable season, he scored 36 Bundesliga goals, another 14 in the Champions League and finished the campaign with the European Golden Shoe.
Kane’s complete game strengthens his Ballon d’Or case
The most impressive part of Kane’s performance against Arsenal was not actually the penalty.
His pass for Davies demonstrated why judging him purely on goals undersells what he provides. Kane dropped away from Arsenal’s defence, identified the run immediately and produced a perfectly weighted ball that effectively removed several defenders from the game.
That ability separates him from many traditional No.9s.
There will naturally be strong competition when the Ballon d’Or is awarded on 26 October, but Kane has an unusually complete case. He has the individual numbers, major trophies and international performances, having also helped England finish third at the 2026 World Cup.
Rice knows Kane’s quality from both perspectives, playing alongside him for England and attempting to stop him for Arsenal.
That makes his endorsement particularly interesting. Kane has spent much of his career being praised for goals while occasionally being overlooked when football’s biggest individual awards are discussed.
After the season he has produced, that argument is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.
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