Declan Rice: Arsenal's Heartbeat and Ballon d'Or Aspirant

Declan Rice is fast becoming the heartbeat of Arsenal and England, the kind of midfielder around whom grand predictions naturally gather. A Premier League title back in north London after 22 years. A £105 million price tag justified by relentless, high-level consistency. A looming World Cup in North America that feels tailor-made for a player who thrives on responsibility.

Talk of the Ballon d’Or was always going to follow.

Rice has been central to Mikel Arteta’s transformation of Arsenal from hopeful challengers into champions. Since arriving from West Ham in 2023 for a then British record fee, he has barely missed a beat or a minute, anchoring a side that finally found the steel to match its style. For many, he became the missing piece in a complex, title-winning puzzle.

That kind of impact usually forces a player into the global conversation. England, still chasing a first major trophy since 1966, are banking on that same influence this summer. If Rice can carry his club form onto the international stage and drive the Three Lions to a world crown, the Ballon d’Or narrative will only grow louder. A midfielder who already looks like a future England captain, crowned on the biggest stage of all? Voters notice that.

Yet not everyone is ready to elevate him to that tier just yet.

Robbie Fowler, who knows a thing or two about elite standards in an England shirt, drew a firm line when asked where Rice stands in the game’s hierarchy. The comparison that always comes for English midfielders arrived again: Steven Gerrard.

“I like Declan Rice,” Fowler said, speaking to GOAL via BetMGM. He then cut to the chase. When you put Rice up against Gerrard, Fowler doesn’t see him at that level yet. Not as a complete force of nature. Not as a player who dominated games in every phase for years on end.

Fowler acknowledged the strides Rice has made since joining Arsenal, describing him as a more complete player now, one who has clearly “gone up a notch.” But in his eyes, there is still another level to climb before Rice belongs in the same breath as Gerrard or on a realistic Ballon d’Or shortlist. The Liverpool great, after all, never actually won the award himself, despite finishing third in 2005.

That context matters. If Gerrard, with Istanbul, with Cardiff, with all those defining nights, never got his hands on the Golden Ball, what does Rice still need to produce?

The numbers from the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote underline Fowler’s caution. Rice placed 27th, a respectable nod from global observers but nowhere near the podium. At that stage, he did not have a major trophy with Arsenal to strengthen his case, his performances admired but not yet gilded by silverware.

That changed with the Premier League title. Rice now has a domestic crown, and he came agonisingly close to making it a historic double, driving Arsenal to the brink of an even greater achievement. The sense is that his game, and his influence, are still on an upward curve.

What sets Rice apart is not just his tactical discipline or physical presence, but his mentality. The Kingston upon Thames native has never pretended to sit alongside Gerrard in pure talent terms at this point in his career. He knows the gap. He talks about it. He wants to close it.

That honesty fuels him. Rice has never been the type to shrink from a challenge, whether it was justifying a record fee, stepping into a title race, or carrying the weight of a nation’s hopes. The Ballon d’Or remains a distant prize, not an entitlement. But if his trajectory continues – club leader, England cornerstone, serial contender for the game’s biggest honours – the idea of him one day lifting that Golden Ball will no longer sound ambitious.

It will sound inevitable.