Rice Supports Kane For Ballon d'Or Glory

Rice backs his teammate

Declan Rice believes Harry Kane deserves to win the Ballon d'Or on Monday, saying it is his time. Both players scored on Wednesday night as Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Kane scored from the penalty spot during the game. That goal brought his count to 10 goals for the current season, coming off a campaign where he scored 61 goals in 51 matches in 2025-26.

Breaking records in Germany

After the match, Rice praised Kane for his longevity and consistency over his career. He pointed out that the striker is only getting better with age and highlighted his qualities as a leader off the pitch.

If Kane wins, he would be the first English winner of the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen. Since leaving Tottenham in 2023, Kane has set impressive marks at Bayern Munich. Last month, he became the fastest player in history to score 100 Bundesliga goals, reaching the mark in his 98th appearance and beating Dieter Müller's old record of 129 games.

Kane is also close to agreeing to a new contract with Bayern Munich.

Ceremony details and competition

Kane is up against a strong group of nominees for the prize, including Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé. The striker mentioned on Wednesday that he is trying not to stress about the upcoming ceremony.

Rice hopes his international captain will be holding the trophy on Monday, stating that the numbers Kane has put up over the past year speak for themselves.

What it means for the next game

Arsenal vs Everton (Premier League, Sat, 24 Oct): Arsenal win 62%, draw 24%, Everton win 14%; expected goals 1.82 to 0.75. Our safest pick: Arsenal or Draw.

SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga, Sun, 25 Oct): SC Freiburg win 21%, draw 19%, Bayern Munich win 59%; expected goals 1.47 to 2.48. Our safest pick: Bayern Munich or Draw.