Piers Morgan Tips Declan Rice for 2026 Ballon d’Or After Arsenal Reached Champions League Final
- British broadcaster Piers Morgan has backed Arsenal star Declan Rice to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or award
- Rice has been Arsenal’s best player, pushing the team close to Premier League and Champions League glory
- Morgan also added that the England international should win the PFA Player of the Year over Bruno Fernandes
British broadcaster and passionate Arsenal fan has backed midfielder Declan Rice to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or award and PGA Player of the Year Award.
Rice has arguably been Arsenal’s best player this season, pushing the Gunners to the verge of winning the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
Source: Getty Images
Arsenal are four matches away from completing a historic double, the first UCL in the club's history and the first English league title in 22 years.
The Gunners will face West Ham, Burnley, and Crystal Palace in the final three games of the league season before a high-profile Champions League final against PSG.
Morgan tips Rice for Ballon d'Or
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is one of the first names on the favourites list to win the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Award in England.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is his main challenger for the PFA Award as he moves close to breaking the Premier League assist record and turning the Red Devils’ season around.
Controversial British broadcaster Piers Morgan has responded to the social media claims that Fernandes should win the coveted PFA award over Rice.
Morgan claimed that Rice should not only win the PFA award, but he should win the Ballon d'Or as he has been the best player in Europe this season.
“The idea that Bruno Fernandes wins PFA Player of the Year over @_DeclanRice is preposterous. Rice should win the Ballon d’Or too, he’s been the best player in Europe,” he wrote on X.
Olayemi Busari, an Arsenal fan has a different opinion to Morgan's, claiming Rice is not even Arsenal's best player this season, though he is not far off.
"The world needs to pay attention more to goalkeepers and defenders. David Raya and Gabriel Magalhaes in my opinion have been top two Arsenal's best player this season," he told Legit.ng.
"Rice gets the accolades on social media, but these two have influenced the game more during this potential title-winning season."
The post generated reactions, particularly from Manchester United fans, who objected him and claimed that their captain should win the award instead.
@UEF_Podcast wrote:
“This man thinks fellow professionals watch Bruno and Rice and think Rice has been the better player because he has played more games 😂”
@HarrisChri99199 wrote:
“Obviously haven't watched many Man U games then? Both have had decent seasons, but Bruno has influenced far more games and had more assists.”
@ralexander100 wrote:
“The arrogance of this is staggering, Piers. He has barely scored a goal and hardly any assists all season?! More worthy of the Ballon d’Or than: Kane? Olise? Diaz? Vitinha? Neves? Dembele? Kvaratskhelia? Don’t think so, not even close.”
Rice speaks after reaching UCL final
Declan Rice was full of emotions after helping Arsenal reach the final, claiming the final moment is for the fans who have been there through ups and downs.
Source: Getty Images
“This era of Arsenal fans, I know people who have been there from the start have had a lot of ups and downs, but I'm sure this is really up there for them,” he said as quoted by Arsenal.com.
“So, I'm happy we've done it for the club and for this set of players and our manager because everyone deserves it, so, so happy.”
Updated 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings
Legit.ng previously analysed the updated 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings after the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League finalists were confirmed.
Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal will face off in the final, putting current holder Ousmane Dembele in a good position to retain his award.
Source: Legit.ng
