Gerard Pique thinks Arsenal have a player who could finish top 10 in the Ballon d’Or

The Gunners have had a remarkable year.

After winning the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final, three Arsenal players are in the final 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or — William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice.

Elsewhere in the awards lists, goalkeeper David Raya has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy, while Mikel Arteta has been nominated for Men’s Coach of the Year.

And Arsenal themselves have been nominated for Club of the Year — the only Premier League club to do so.

Running through the list of 30 Ballon d’Or nominees on his TikTok, Gerard Pique gave his verdict on how each player should fare.

On Declan Rice, specifically, he backs him to make the top 15, possibly even top 10.

That feels right. Rice has been one of the most consistent performers in European football over the past few seasons. In the three seasons he’s been at Arsenal, he’s been nominated for the Ballon d’Or each year. But this one feels like his best campaign yet. In 2024, Rice finished 26th, and in 2025, he was 27th. He should top both of those this time out.

Graeme Souness may doubt him, but the Ballon d’Or voters won’t.

You do have to wonder where Rice would sit in the conversation had a couple things gone a little differently. Had Arsenal beaten PSG on penalties in Budapest, and had England beaten Argentina in the World Cup semi-final, Rice would likely be among the genuine favourites rather than a worthy top 10 candidate. But that’s how fine the margins are.

Whereas other years have been fairly predictable in terms of who the top two or three are, this year feels a lot more open. But Rice does feel like he’s on the tier below some of the other names — Kylian Mbappe, Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Lionel Messi.

But a top 10 finish for Rice would be well deserved. If he does, he will become the first Arsenal player to achieve that feat since Cesc Fabregas finished 8th in the 2007 Ballon d’Or voting.