'Imagine how we were in the restaurant!' - Rice reveals England's reaction to Harry Kane winning the Ballon d'Or and backs captain over Lamine Yamal

England midfielder Declan Rice has thrown his support behind captain Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or conversation, insisting the striker is a more deserving recipient than Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal. Speaking ahead of the Three Lions' high-stakes Nations League clash with Spain, the Arsenal star praised Kane’s unprecedented goalscoring form and professional humility.

As England gear up for a decisive UEFA Nations League encounter against Spain at the Metropolitano, Declan Rice has not shied away from the inevitable comparisons between the world’s elite talents. Rice believes the Ballon d'Or belongs to his international captain. The midfielder highlighted Kane's remarkable output and influence on the pitch as the primary reasons why he should be considered the best in the world, even as the 19-year-old Yamal continues to capture the imagination of fans across the globe.

"I think in the case of Harry for me and for everyone, Harry deserved the Ballon d'Or. As he has performed, the goals he has scored and not only the goals, how he has played.... In Spain obviously they are going to say Lamine, at some point he will win it, but I think Harry is a fair winner," Rice told the media at a press conference. He further elaborated on the striker's character, adding: "It's incredible, the Ballon d'Or... imagine in the restaurant how we all were. He is super humble, it didn't seem like he has won the Ballon d'Or because he hardly talks about it. He is a legend of English football, we are very lucky."

Beyond the individual debates, Rice addressed the social climate surrounding international fixtures in Spain, as he stated: "In the past I have experienced it, I remember once in Bulgaria the protocol was activated. We left the field. The coach has not told us anything about it, but I suppose he will comment on it. I don't expect anything like that tomorrow, this is a fantastic stadium. The players respect us a lot and we don't expect any incident of this type tomorrow."

Rice continued by expressing his hope that the focus remains on the pitch: "No, it doesn't worry me. The moment we are in now, in 2026, it is totally eradicated from football. We have a protocol in place and if it happened we know what we would do as a squad. I don't even want to think if there was a racist chant against one of our players or against one of the Spaniards. It's going to be a fantastic match, I rule out anything of this type."

England travel to Madrid knowing that only a victory will suffice if they are to leapfrog Spain and secure the top spot in their Nations League group. "When you play against the best in the world like Yamal it is very special. You always want to play against the best, but we should not focus only on Lamine, they have good players who are very good. If we focus only on Lamine it would not be right. We know how good he is, facing him is going to be a litmus test," Rice admitted.

Looking ahead to the magnitude of the clash, he concluded: "I think they are two of the best in the world, that's for sure. If we look at the two teams, on paper we are two of the best, but we cannot forget France, Holland, Germany, etc. It is a spectacle that fans are going to love."