Declan Rice finished only 15th in this year's Ballon d'Or — a ranking that, by most measures, sells him drastically short. Arsenal won the Premier League, reached the UEFA Champions League final, and contributed eight players to World Cup semi-finalists. Yet Rice was the highest-placed Arsenal representative in the entire standings. That slight, according to those close to the club, may yet serve as a powerful motivator as the season unfolds.

A vote that reflected genuine merit

Among those who did vote for Rice was respected football writer Henry Winter, one of the Ballon d'Or judges. Winter placed Rice 10th on his ballot, arguing the midfielder's campaign was among the finest in the Premier League last season. Winter also believes Rice should have claimed the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award — a prize that ultimately went to Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes.

The three criteria France Football asks judges to consider are individual performance, collective achievement, and role-model qualities — the same framework that guided the overall winner, Harry Kane. On all three measures, Rice delivered. He lifted silverware, excelled individually, and conducts himself with the kind of integrity the game too rarely rewards.

The new heartbeat of Arsenal's midfield

This season, Rice has continued at the same relentless level, already registering five assists from midfield. Manager Mikel Arteta encouraged him during pre-season to take more attacking risks, and Rice has embraced that challenge — operating as both a no.6 and an increasingly effective no.8.

The comparison that now follows Rice most persistently is a flattering one: he is being spoken of as the natural midfield successor to Patrick Vieira, captain of Arsenal's legendary Invincibles side of 2003/04. At Anfield in the most recent meeting between the sides, Rice delivered another defining performance — providing the assist for Kai Havertz's goal with a well-timed overlap and cross, before shifting into a defensive role to blunt Liverpool's attacks. He also showed sharp footwork to navigate past Florian Wirtz, delivered a precise left-footed pass to Havertz, twice pressed Bradley Barcola, and crafted a crossing opportunity for Noni Madueke after teasing Ronald Araujo.

With Bukayo Saka's fitness a growing concern, Rice has assumed the role of Arsenal's single most important player. He is also widely regarded as the eventual captain, the heir to Martin Odegaard's armband. The club are currently working to secure him on a long-term contract that would carry him through the prime years of his career at 27.

Arteta's untouchable starter

So essential has Rice become that Arteta has been unwilling to substitute him. Rice has played the full 90 minutes in the win over Liverpool, the draw against Bayern Munich — when he scored at the Allianz Arena — the victory at Napoli, the home win over Leeds United, the away win at Nottingham Forest, and was on the pitch for all but five minutes of the triumph at Aston Villa.

That workload, however, raises legitimate questions. Rice suffered neural pain in his hamstring during the second half of last season, and only recently took a three-week break by withdrawing from England's previous international window. England manager Thomas Tuchel will be keen to have his most influential midfielder available for the Nations League fixtures against Croatia at Wembley and away to Spain at the Metropolitano in Madrid.

England are on course for the Nations League quarter-finals, and finishing top of Group A3 would give them a favourable draw in March — with the semi-finals and final scheduled for 9–13 June. Rice, who has earned 80 caps and sits joint 22nd in England's all-time appearance list alongside Gary Lineker, could move into the top 20 past Rio Ferdinand and level with Raheem Sterling if he features in both upcoming matches.

How Tuchel and Arteta navigate Rice's minutes in the weeks ahead will be one of the more delicate conversations in English football. One thing is beyond debate: Rice has the quality, the drive, and now the motivation of a Ballon d'Or snub to push him to an even higher level.