Declan Rice believes that one Arsenal teammate has helped him raise his levels even further, with the midfielder declaring he has felt ‘unstoppable’ at times this season.
Rice has enjoyed an excellent all-action campaign in the center of Arsenal’s midfield, helping to guide his side to the highest of the Premier League table and still on for a historic quadruple.
The 27-year-old has barely missed a game all season, while his deliveries from corners and free-kicks becoming the cornerstone of the Gunners’ terrifying set-piece prowess.
And such have been his levels of performance that the England international even finds himself highly fancied with the bookmakers in the case of the Ballon d’Or.
Rice has consistently improved 12 months on 12 months since his record-breaking move from West Ham in 2023, but he was keen to credit midfield partner Martin Zubimendi for helping unlock one other level oin his own game.
Zubimendi only signed from Real Sociedad for £60million last summer, but has fitted seamlessly into the bottom of Arteta’s midfield, with Rice stuffed with praise for the Spanish midfielder.
‘I believe yearly I’ve tried to boost my level and lift my game,’ he told The Sun. ‘It’s something my dad at all times said to me, like, how are you going to enhance yearly? How are you going to recuperate?
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‘It’s weird because I don’t give it some thought. I just exit and play and I’m lucky that I get to play football matches. I’m fit. Zubi[mendi] has been an enormous help this season. He’s been really, really good.
‘When you get in that momentum and into the swing of things, your confidence comes, and there’ve been points this season where I felt unstoppable at times, and there’s no higher feeling than going onto a football pitch with confidence, you already know you’re going to go on and play well.’
Rice continued: ‘I believe I at all times have in my mind, very first thing of the sport, at all times do it to a superb standard, whether it’s a header, a tackle, a duel. In case you win that, it gets your mind in the proper place.
‘Whereas when you lose it, it will possibly have a negative impact and also you begin to think the opposite way. So I at all times attempt to get my mind in the proper place and that spurs me on to go and play well.’
Asked about being within the discussion to win the Ballon d’Or, Rice was keen to not look too far ahead, adding: ‘It’s unreal, obviously. You need to be involved in them conversations. I believe they’re the proper ones to be involved in.
‘Obviously, I appreciate the fans for saying that. It’s such a good distance away because I would like to maintain playing well. I would like to maintain maintaining this level. But additionally, you see the recent Ballon d’Or winners, what they’ve won during their season.
‘Hopefully we will have a successful season and I could be involved in them conversations. That might be amazing. If not, that’s not something that I’m setting my eye on. I actually need the team to do well first.
‘We’re lucky enough, like I said, to be in every competition still at this stage of the season. There’s so many big teams who’ve been knocked out already.
‘So we put ourselves in a extremely strong position to go forward and put ourselves in one of the simplest ways.’
Arsenal are back in motion on Sunday as they host Chelsea on the Emirates.
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