Arsenal: How Declan Rice put himself in the conversation for the Ballon d'Or

Rice has taken his game to another level and become one of the best midfielders in Europe

Days after Arsenal had signed Declan Rice in the summer of 2023, Mikel Arteta declared what he expected from the midfielder.

“I see him like a lighthouse,” said Arteta. “He will light up the others and improve the others, and make the team better. His leadership, his aura - he’s going to bring the team to a different dimension.”

More than two years have passed since those comments and Arteta’s prediction has come true.

Rice has become a leader in an Arsenal side that is top of the Premier League this season and has a 100 per cent record in the Champions League.

Gunners fans are dreaming of winning major silverware and, if they do, Rice will be a big reason why.

Rice has become a leader for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta

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The 26-year-old’s performances have been outstanding and he is in the conversation about who is the best midfielder in Europe.

Some have suggested that Rice could be a contender to win the Ballon d’Or, and Arteta has refused to dampen such talk.

“I hope so! That would mean we have won a lot, because normally it is related to that,” he said. “He’s been immense since the start of the season, and he’s an incredible and crucial player for us.”

Rice has evolved since he joined Arsenal from West Ham as part of a deal worth more than £100million.

Back then, he was viewed as a defensive midfielder, but now the England star is having an impact at both ends of the pitch.

Rice declared after Arsenal’s win over Bayern Munich last month, when he was named man of the match, that he is playing the best football of his career.

“I just feel so confident every time I am training, every time I am stepping on the pitch,” he said. “I am the fittest I have ever been as well. When you have got all these things going for you, when you step on a football pitch, you know it is going to happen. I have got that confidence. I am really happy with my game and long may it continue. You have got to enjoy the ride.”

If Rice’s form continues like this, Arsenal fans will do just that.

Arteta rates Rice so highly that he does not believe the midfielder has exceeded expectations since joining Arsenal .

In his eyes, the midfielder was always capable of reaching these heights and his talent just needed to be nurtured.

Arteta has been key to that, and Rice believes the Arsenal manager will go down as one of the best coaches in history.

Within weeks of joining Arsenal , Rice declared how he was “seeing football in a completely different way”.

More recently, the midfielder has said that it feels like he has a “remote control in my head” because of Arteta’s tactical prowess.

“He’s built it into me, like he’s built into every player,” said Rice.

Martin Zubimendi has truly unlocked Rice

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“Every time you go on the pitch, you know what you’re doing and that’s down to him, I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

It took Arteta six months to find Rice’s best role at Arsenal . Originally, he was using him at the base of a midfield trio to provide protection for the defence.

During a mid-season training camp in January last year, the decision was taken to move Rice further forward and play Kai Havertz as a striker.

Arsenal went on to win 16 of their final 18 Premier League games, narrowly missing out on the title to Manchester City by two points.

They have not looked back since and Arteta has instead pressed ahead with plans to use Rice in a more advanced No8 role.

This season has been the culmination of that, with the summer signing of Martin Zubimendi truly unlocking Rice.

Zubimendi has played behind the England star at the base of midfield, with his reading of the game and composure on the ball freeing up Rice to impact the game in both boxes.

The Arsenal squad call Rice “the Horse” because of his athletic prowess, and the presence of Zubimendi has given him the licence to roam.

Arteta believes that Rice has now become a “total player”, and the England star has been quick to pay tribute to Zubimendi for his role in that.

“From the first moment we trained with each other pre-season, I could just tell that I was going to play some good football with him,” said Rice.

“He’s Spain’s No6 and you know what Spanish No6s are like: they are the best at first-phase build-up, turning on the ball, playing forward and into pockets. That’s exactly what we have got with him. He’s an unbelievable player. It has been so easy to play with him.”

Arteta may have envisaged Rice turning into the complete midfielder, but there is another side of his game that he could not have predicted.

Rice has become one of the best set-piece takers in the world over the past 18 months, with his ability to strike the ball so cleanly drawing comparisons to England legend David Beckham.

As a young boy, Rice idolised Beckham - owning a Real Madrid shirt with his name on the back - and so to be mentioned in the same breath as him now is an honour.

Beckham messaged Rice after his two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season.

Rice scored two spectacular free-kicks against Real Madrid last season

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The second of those was nominated for the Puskas Award, FIFA’s prize for the best goal of the past year, and Rice admits he watches it back in his spare time.

Rice’s road to becoming a set-piece master began in January last year.

There have been a few sliding-doors moments in the midfielder’s career, such as when he was released by Chelsea’s academy at 14, but it is difficult to look past that training camp in Dubai.

It was there that Rice’s position was shifted to the more advanced role he plays now. It was also when Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, first floated the idea of Rice taking corners and free-kicks.

“He said that he’d been watching me and thought I had the ability to do it,” said Rice. “He said that I have technique and the power, and that I can have different types of deliveries. As time has gone on, it’s got more global because the deliveries have been really good.

“But I think I’ve always had that ability from dead-ball situations, it’s just about believing and putting it into practice. Once I sat with Nico and discussed it, I was all in, 100 per cent committed.”

Rice’s delivery - combined with Jover’s innovative routines and the aerial threat of defender Gabriel - has turned Arsenal into the best set-piece team in Europe.

The Gunners scored the most goals from corners in the Premier League last season and they have continued that this year.

Going into this week’s round of league games, Arteta’s side were ranked No1 for set-piece goals and were the only team to have hit double figures.

Rice has been instrumental in that, his corners leading to 11 Premier League goals. Two more and he will draw level with Beckham.

Arteta believes the best is still yet to come from Rice, who missed the Club Brugge game through illness but will hope to be fit to face Wolves on Saturday.

The midfielder is still only 26 and there is scope for his game to develop further.

Rice is going to be a key player for Arsenal in their pursuit of the title

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“Being with him every day, understanding and connecting with him … we are going to get more,” said Arteta.

“He wants more, the team knows him better, his role is growing. The impact he has on the team, it’s huge. That will vary related to the position and the spaces he occupies, but there will be other areas he will evolve.”

The obvious area for Rice to improve is goals. He is yet to hit double figures in a season, although his tally of nine last year was the best of his career.

Assists are starting to become a key part of his game, thanks in part to set-pieces, and Rice’s mindset has changed.

“That feeling of getting assists for my team-mates, and playing a part in goals, is something I didn’t focus on much at the start of my career,” he said. “But now I’m desperate to add goals, add assists and to help the team out. Knowing on a match day that you’ve helped the team to a win is massive.”

Rice is increasing his set-piece threat, too, adding a long throw to his arsenal. Arteta believes it can be a real weapon in time.

“I know how good Declan was at taking set-pieces three or four years ago, and I know how good he is now,” he said. “So, it does not happen overnight. Things have to be trained, evolved and tweaked. And the player has to believe as well. He can become anything he wants. He can do almost everything you require him to do.”

Rice’s influence is growing off the pitch as well as on it, and Arteta wants to tie him down to a new contract.

He is part of Arsenal’s leadership group this season and has taken on a key role in mentoring teenage star Max Dowman.

Those at Arsenal speak of how Rice sets the standards with the way he trains and conducts himself off the pitch too.

He has become an example for others, and Arteta’s prediction of Rice becoming a leader has come true.

“Now he’s become a lighthouse,” Arteta said recently. “You just look at him and you know where you have to head.”