'Just Dec from Kingston!' - Rice reacts to Ballon d'Or talk as Arsenal & England star gets 'best midfielder in the world' billing

£105m man Rice billed as future England captain

The affable 26-year-old would never put himself in such illustrious company, but is happy for others to do that for him. He has come a long way in a short space of time, with international allegiance being switched from the Republic of Ireland to the Three Lions in 2019.

Having initially moved between centre-half and the middle of the park at West Ham, Rice’s development in a holding role saw him captain the Hammers to Conference League glory in 2023, before moving to Emirates Stadium in a record-breaking £105 million ($141m) transfer.

His stock has continued to soar in north London, while chasing down more major honours, and he is considered by many to be an England skipper of the future. It could be that collective and individual accolades come his way in the years to come.

Ballon d'Or contender? Rice reacts to Golden Ball talk

Quizzed by Jamie Redknapp for Sky Sports on his supposed Ballon d’Or claims, Rice quipped back with: “I'm just Dec from Kingston, ain't I.”

He went on to say: “Look, they're the right conversations to be in. Arsenal fans really appreciate what I'm doing for them at the minute and it was West Ham fans before that, they were singing my praises.

“When you're being compared to the best players in the world it's nice, so long may that continue. It shows you're playing well, and you want to play at the highest level.”

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How Arteta is pushing Rice to be even better

Rice is working alongside more success-hungry superstars at Arsenal and appears to have, in Mikel Arteta, the best manager by his side when it comes to pursuing personal perfection.

Rice said of his coach at the Emirates: “At the start of the season, the manager pushed me a lot. I think after two games, I was in his office. He pulled me in. He wasn’t happy about a few things.”

Asked what those talks were about, Rice added: “There were a few clips, just of things that I wasn’t doing right. Things that are basics in terms of running and tracking your men and with the ball, positional-wise, that he wasn’t too happy with. And like I said, at the start of the season, I realised myself I probably wasn’t at my best level.

“The good thing with this manager is that he knows when to put the knife in me in a little bit, just to give me a nudge, and he knows that will get the best out of me. Because I love to listen, I love to take it all in. I don’t see that as a bad thing that he has told me that. When he said that to me, I said to myself: ‘I do need to up it here!'”

Arsenal fixtures 2025-26: Liverpool clash next up for the Gunners

Arteta is now very much part of the Rice fan club. He has said during the 2025-26 campaign when asked if his No.41 is now the standout performer in his chosen position: “For me, yes. Declan is constantly adding things to his game, and his role in the team, and I don't see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve.”

Arsenal will continue to oversee that process, with Arteta and Co aware that they cannot allow collective standards to slip. They are back in the hunt for a Premier League crown, having finished as runners-up across the last three campaigns.

The Gunners are set to face defending champions Liverpool on Thursday, in what will be another considerable test of their title credentials, but head into that game five points clear at the top of the table and aware that they can pull further away from the chasing pack.