Declan Rice has backed England captain Harry Kane to win the Ballon d'Or, describing him as the "clear winner" for the award.
The ceremony takes place in London next week, with Kane currently the favourite. The striker scored 73 goals for club and country last season, winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and helping England finish third at the World Cup.
Rice's Verdict on Kane
Speaking after Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, in which both he and Kane scored, Rice praised his international team-mate.
"For me, he's the clear winner," Rice said. "His numbers speak for themselves. The year he's had has been remarkable."
"He's obviously up against some other world-class players but when you play with him, you realise how good he is - and when you play against him, you see how much of a pain it is."
Kane's Competition
Kane's main competition for the award appears to be Lamine Yamal, with Kylian Mbappe also potentially in the running. This year's award has sparked debate, with figures across the sport campaigning for their preferred candidate.
Champions League Clash
In the match, Kane opened the scoring for Bayern with a penalty after setting up Alphonso Davies with a through ball. Rice equalised for Arsenal, combining with Viktor Gyokeres before finishing past Manuel Neuer.
Rice felt Arsenal deserved more from the game. "It was a great spectacle but we feel we could probably have had more," he said. "Manuel Neuer's made some great saves, but so did David (Raya)."
He added: "The manager has drilled into us for the last two days we're not just coming in to sit and hit on the counter - we wanted to match them all over the pitch. At home, they're one of the best teams in Europe with Paris. On to the next one and we keep going."
