Declan Rice: Arsenal's Key to Premier League Glory and Ballon d'Or Aspirations

Declan Rice has just powered Arsenal back to the summit of English football. The Premier League trophy is back in north London after 22 long years, and the £105 million midfielder has stood at the heart of it all, dictating games, dragging his team through tense moments, and justifying every penny of that record fee.

With that kind of impact, the conversation was always coming. Ballon d’Or. Golden Ball. Best in the world. Rice’s name has started to creep into those debates as Arsenal’s rise has gathered pace and his influence has grown.

Some see a future England captain. Some see a midfielder who has become one of the final pieces in Mikel Arteta’s intricate jigsaw, the man who turned a promising project into a title-winning machine. And with the Three Lions heading to North America this summer chasing a first major trophy in 60 years, the narrative almost writes itself: club champion turns international talisman, and the global crown follows.

If that happens, Rice’s candidacy for the game’s most prestigious individual honour would rocket. A Premier League title and a major international trophy would place him firmly in the Ballon d’Or conversation, especially after he helped Arsenal go agonisingly close to a domestic double. The margins were thin. The progress was undeniable.

Not everyone is ready to put him on that pedestal.

Robbie Fowler, a man who knows what it means to carry expectation in an England shirt and at a giant of the English game, poured a little cold water on the hype. Speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of BetMGM, the former Liverpool striker didn’t hide his admiration for Rice, but he drew a hard line when the comparison turned to Steven Gerrard.

“I like Declan Rice,” Fowler said, before steering the discussion toward familiar territory. When English midfielders dominate, they get measured against Gerrard. That’s the bar. “I think when we talk about Declan Rice and how good he is, you compare him, obviously, to the likes of Stevie G. If I'm being honest, I don't think he's Steven's level. That's not me being all Liverpool.”

It’s a brutal comparison for any modern midfielder. Gerrard finished third in the 2005 Ballon d’Or voting, dragged Liverpool to a Champions League title in Istanbul, and defined an era. Rice, for all his excellence, is still building that kind of legacy.

Fowler recognises the strides Arsenal’s No.41 has made since his move from West Ham. “I think Declan Rice, since he's gone to Arsenal, he has become a more complete player,” he said. Rice has added progression on the ball, a bigger presence in the final third, and a more rounded influence on games. The leap from West Ham anchor to Arsenal engine has been dramatic.

But Fowler’s verdict stayed firm. “I don't think he's the level that Steven Gerrard is just yet. Look, Steven Gerrard never won the Ballon d'Or.”

That last line matters. Gerrard, with all his big nights and big moments, never took home the Golden Ball. So where does that leave Rice in this debate?

“It is what it is in terms of his performances,” Fowler continued. “He's been great for Arsenal and he's obviously gone up a notch. But I think he needs to go up another notch, if I'm being genuine in terms of his performances. It does sound like I'm having a little bit of a go, but I'm not. I think Declan Rice is a fantastic player, but I don't think he's on the realms of the Ballon d'Or list just yet.”

The numbers back up that caution. In the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote, Rice finished 27th. Respectable, but nowhere near the podium. At that point, he had not yet lifted major silverware with Arsenal, and his ranking reflected that. The individual recognition lagged behind the performances and the promise.

This season changed that. Now he has a Premier League title to his name, the kind of medal that transforms reputations. He was central to Arsenal’s charge and came within touching distance of a historic double, missing out only narrowly and leaving the sense that this team – and this player – are far from done.

Rice’s story carries another dimension: England. The Kingston upon Thames native has never hidden from responsibility. He left West Ham to test himself at the very top. He embraced the pressure of a record fee. He walked into a dressing room chasing history and made himself indispensable.

He will be the first to admit that he does not yet sit alongside Gerrard in the game’s hierarchy. The humility is real. The ambition is louder. Rice wants to reach that level. He wants to be the one lifting trophies for club and country, the one kids compare the next generation to.

England’s six-decade wait for a major trophy hangs over every tournament they enter. This summer on North American soil, Rice has the chance to change that narrative. If he anchors a title-winning campaign for the Three Lions, if he turns domestic dominance into international glory, the Ballon d’Or conversation will change tone and volume very quickly.

For now, he sits in that intriguing space: already a champion, already elite, still chasing the game’s true giants. Gerrard set a standard that even he could not parlay into a Golden Ball. Rice is aiming to match that level and then go one step further.

The ladder is in front of him. Fowler’s challenge is clear. The only question now is how fast, and how far, Declan Rice can climb.