Declan Rice just dropped a bombshell, straight up calling Harry Kane the “clear winner” for the Ballon d’Or after the Bayern Munich striker put on a show in a 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal. The world’s best player of 2026 is getting crowned on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium Theatre, and Rice’s endorsement just cemented what many already thought: Kane is the guy.
The On-Field Battle, The Off-Field Praise
Wednesday night saw Kane light up the Allianz Arena against Arsenal. He was involved in *both* of Bayern’s goals against the Gunners. First, he sliced an inch-perfect pass from deep to set up Alphonso Davies for the equalizer. Then, he stepped up to the spot and put the hosts in front with a penalty. Talk about clutch. Rice, the very guy giving Kane his props, actually snatched a point for Arsenal with eight minutes to play, finishing off a wonderfully-worked move. But even after battling it out, Rice didn’t hesitate to give his England captain his flowers after full-time.
“For me, he’s the clear winner,” Rice told TNT Sports. “I think his numbers speak for himself. The year he’s had has been remarkable.” Rice continued, explaining that playing with Kane shows you how good he is, and playing against him, well, “you see how much of a pain it is.” He was just blown away by Kane’s all-around play: “As a striker, to play that pass that he did for that [Davies] goal, and then obviously took the penalty how he did, it’s just… yeah, he’s ridiculous. He’s such a good player and I’m lucky I can play with him and also lucky I have to play against him.” That’s high praise from an opponent, you know it’s real.
Kane’s Remarkable Year and The Final Countdown
Rice isn’t just pulling this out of thin air. Kane’s year has been absolutely insane, with the striker scoring an eye-watering 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season. That kind of production doesn’t happen by accident, and it’s why he’s currently the odds-on favourite to snag the award. He’s up against some serious talent, too, like Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal, who just won the World Cup with Spain over the summer.
Kane himself is just waiting to see what happens. “It would be amazing to win,” Kane told Uefa, but he knows it’s out of his hands now. “The voting closed a long time ago so there’s nothing I can do, just wait and see what happens.” All eyes are going to be on London next Monday night to see if Rice’s declaration rings true.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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