Declan Rice ya ƙare a matsayi na 15 ne kawai a cikin Ballon d'Or na wannan shekara — matsayi da, ta mafi yawan ƙididdiga, bai ba shi girmamawa da ya cancanta ba. Arsenal sun lashe Premier League, sun kai ƙarshe na UEFA Champions League, kuma sun ba da gudummawa da 'yan wasa takwas waɗanda suka kai semi-finals na Kofin Duniya. Duk da haka, Rice shi ne wakilin Arsenal mafi girma a duk jerin. Wannan rashin girmamawa, dangane da waɗanda ke kusa da kulob ɗin, na iya zama ƙarfin motoci mai ƙarfi a tsawon kakar wannan.

Kuri'a da ta nuna cancanta ta gaskiya

Daga cikin waɗanda suka jefa ƙuri'a don Rice akwai marubuci shahararren ƙwallon ƙafa Henry Winter, ɗaya daga cikin alkalin Ballon d'Or. Winter ya sanya Rice a matsayi na 10 a kan katin ƙuri'arsa, yana jayayya cewa kakar ɗan wasan tsakiya ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyau a cikin Premier League a kakar da ta gabata. Winter kuma ya yi imanin cewa Rice ya kamata ya lashe kyautar Football Writers' Footballer of the Year — kyautar da a ƙarshe ta je ga Bruno Fernandes na Manchester United.

Ƙa'idoji uku da France Football ke rokon alkalai su yi la'akari da su sune: aikin mutum ɗaya, nasarar tare, da siffofin ɗa abin koyi — tsarin guda ɗaya da ya yi jagora ga wanda ya lashe gaba ɗaya, Harry Kane. A duk waɗannan ma'aunai uku, Rice ya cika alkawari. Ya ɗaga kofuna, ya yi kyau a matsayin mutum ɗaya, kuma yana gudanar da kansa da aminci da wasa baya yi kyauta da shi.

Sabon bugun zuciya na tsakiya na Arsenal

A wannan kakar, Rice ya ci gaba da wannan matakin da ba ya tsayawa, tuni ya samu taimaka biyar daga tsakiya. Manajan Mikel Arteta ya ƙarfafa shi kafin kakar da ya ɗauki ƙarin haɗarin kai farmaki, kuma Rice ya karɓi wannan ƙalubale — yana aiki duka a matsayin lamba 6 da lamba 8 mai inganci mai tasowa.

Kwatancin da yanzu ke bi Rice da mafi yawan ta'aziyyar kwatanci mai dadi ne: ana bayyana shi a matsayin magajin halitta na Patrick Vieira a tsakiya, kyaftin na shahararren ƙungiyar Invincibles ta Arsenal ta 2003/04. A Anfield, a cikin mafi kwanan nan taron tsakanin ƙungiyoyin, Rice ya ba da wani aiki mai mahimmanci — ya samar da taimakon golin Kai Havertz tare da haɗuwar da ta dace da kirga na lokaci mai kyau, sannan ya sauya zuwa matsayin tsaro don murƙushe hare-haren Liverpool. Ya kuma nuna wasan tausa wuya don guje wa Florian Wirtz, ya aika da wata tafiyar daidai ta ƙafar hagu zuwa ga Havertz, ya matse Bradley Barcola sau biyu, kuma ya ƙirƙiri damar kirga ga Noni Madueke bayan ya firgita Ronald Araujo.

Tare da lafiyar Bukayo Saka kasancewa damuwa mai ƙaruwa, Rice ya ɗauki matsayin ɗan wasa mafi mahimmanci na Arsenal gaba ɗaya. Ana kuma ɗaukar shi sosai a matsayin kyaftin na gaba, magaji na abin hannun Martin Odegaard. Kulob din yana aiki yanzu don tabbatar masa da kwantiragin dogon lokaci wanda zai kai shi ta cikin shekarunsa na ƙoli a matsayinsa na shekara 27.

Dan wasan farawa da Arteta baya maye gurbinsa

Rice ya zama mai mahimmanci sosai wanda Arteta ya ƙi maye gurbinsa. Rice ya buga cikakken mintuna 90 a cikin nasarar da ta samu akan Liverpool, zanen kan Bayern Munich — lokacin da ya zura ƙwallo a Allianz Arena — nasara a Napoli, nasara a gida akan Leeds United, nasara a bayan gida a Nottingham Forest, kuma ya kasance a filin wasa don duk sai mintuna biyar na nasara a Aston Villa.

Koyaya, wannan nauyin yana kawo tambayoyin da suka dace. Rice ya sha wahalar ciwo na jijiya a cikin hamstring ɗinsa a cikin rabin na biyu na kakar da ta gabata, kuma kwanan nan ne kawai ya ɗauki hutu na makonni uku ta hanyar janye daga taga ta ƙasa ta England ta ƙarshe. Manajan England Thomas Tuchel zai yi farin ciki da samun ɗan wasan tsakiya mafi ƙarfi a shirye-shiryen buga wasannin Nations League akan Croatia a Wembley da bayan gida ga Spain a Metropolitano a Madrid.

England na kan hanya zuwa kwata-kwatotin na Nations League, kuma ƙarewa a sama na Ƙungiya A3 zai ba su ɗaukar mai kyau a watan Maris — an tsara semi-finals da ƙarshe ga 9–13 ga Yuni. Rice, wanda ya samu kofuna 80 kuma yana a matsayi na 22 a cikin jerin mafi yawan bayyanar nan ta England tare da Gary Lineker, na iya shiga cikin manyan 20, ya wuce Rio Ferdinand ya daidaita da Raheem Sterling idan ya buga wasanni biyu na gaba.

Yadda Tuchel da Arteta za su sarrafa mintuna Rice a cikin makonni masu zuwa zai zama ɗaya daga cikin tattaunawar mafi tsanantawa a cikin ƙwallon ƙafa ta Ingila. Abin da ba shi da jayayya: Rice yana da inganci, ƙarfin halin, kuma yanzu yana da ƙarfin motoci na rashin girmamawa na Ballon d'Or don tura shi zuwa matakin da ya fi haka.