Declan Rice backs Harry Kane to win Ballon dOr ahead of Arsenal team-mate

Declan Rice says he is proud to have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or for a second successive year, but wants England captain Harry Kane to win the award instead.

The Arsenal and England midfielder told Sky Sports: “I’m extremely proud to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the second year in a row, but you know who I want to win it.”

He added: “I’d be very happy to see Harry Kane win it. I wish him the best of luck in achieving it.”

Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, is among the nominees alongside Rice. The full shortlist is:

Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid), Pau Cubarsi (Spain, Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Spain, Real Madrid and Chelsea), Ousmane Dembele (France, Paris Saint-Germain), Luis Diaz (Colombia, Bayern Munich), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal, Manchester United), Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City), Gabriel Magalhaes (Brazil, Arsenal), Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain), Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, Paris Saint-Germain), Marquinhos (Brazil, Paris Saint-Germain), Sadio Mane (Senegal, Al-Nassr), Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter Milan), Kylian Mbappe (France, Real Madrid), Nuno Mendes (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami), Michael Olise (France, Bayern Munich), Joao Neves (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain), Willian Pacho (Ecuador, Paris Saint-Germain), Julian Quinones (Mexico, Al-Qadsiah), Declan Rice (England, Arsenal), Rodri (Spain, Manchester City and Barcelona), William Saliba (France, Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (France, Bayern Munich), Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain), Vinicius Junior (Brazil, Real Madrid), Fabian Ruiz (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain) and Ferran Torres (Spain, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona).

How the nominees are selected

Players are assessed for performances from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026, covering the 2025-26 season and the 2026 World Cup final, in which Spain won the tournament.

The assessment period also includes the Africa Cup of Nations and the final stage of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

The selection criteria are individual performances, decisive and influential contributions, team performances and trophies won, plus integrity and fair play.

How the winner is decided

The Ballon d’Or is awarded by an international jury of specialist journalists. There is one representative from each country among the top 100 nations in the FIFA men’s rankings and the top 50 in the women’s rankings.

The FIFA rankings in force when the shortlists are published on 8 September 2026 will be used.

The top 10 players in the voting receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively. The player with the highest overall total wins.

If players finish level, the tie is settled by the number of first-place votes. If necessary, second-place votes are then counted, followed by third-place votes and so on.