Declan Rice - next England captain? Arsenal midfielder can use World Cup to show why he is Harry Kane's ideal successor

Thomas Tuchel declared last week that Rice would be England's vice-captain for the tournament, even though Jude Bellingham wore the armband for the second half of England's 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand ahead of the World Cup.

"I was just thinking about it – whether it is an official thing or not," Tuchel said. "But I think we had this talk when Harry [Kane] was not in camp with us. Was it against Wales? Did Harry miss a game against Wales? We started with Ollie [Watkins] and I think Declan was captain. That was where I told him."

Harry Kane is, of course, a natural captain. England's greatest-ever goal-scorer, he has worn the armband since 2018, when he was appointed just before the World Cup in Russia. Kane, though, is neither particularly vocal nor confrontational in a traditional sense. Rather, he leads by example as the best player who conducts himself well and is a natural focal point.

Rice has a bit more of an imposing, mercurial quality about him. Having emerged as a centre-back who was willing to play pretty much anywhere, Rice has always had a bit of a penchant for setting an example. There are tales from his childhood of Rice insisting on playing for his school team before Chelsea training because of his desire to lead his schoolmates at every possible opportunity.

Even as a shy teenager who was released by the Blues, he had a swagger in the West Ham dressing room. He debuted for the first team in 2017, and first wore the armband in 2020. In 2022, he was named permanent captain before his 24th birthday.

By the time he came to his final days at the London Stadium, Rice a dynamic central midfielder who relished doing everything he possibly could to help the team.

That has become a hallmark of Rice's Arsenal career thus far, too. Martin Odegaard is the Gunners' captain, with Bukayo Saka his vice, but when both were missing this past season due to injury - or, in Odegaard's case, rotation - Rice was nominated to take the armband by his team-mates.

"They made the decision because Declan has earned the status, the role, the way he’s taken ownership in difficult moments," Mikel Arteta said in April. "He’s a great leader, he’s a top player for us, and I love that the players take that ownership."

It was an honour Rice earned, in part due to his remarkable ability to remain fit through a gruelling campaign. In 2025-26, he played 36 matches in the Premier League, starting 35, and logged almost 3,100 minutes. Only David Raya played more for the title winners.

"I'm shattered, it's non-stop," Rice told TNT Sports in April. "We're in all the competitions still, so it's been every three days since October. We deal with it best we can but it's difficult. We find ways to win and it's all good. Everyone asks where I get my energy from. I just get this second burst of energy."

That testing schdule eventually proved too much for Martin Zubimendi as the summer signing from Real Sociedad began to falter towards the end of the season. Rice, though, kept going and adapted his role even further. Arsenal might have been frustratingly conservative at times, but Rice was often outnumbered in midfield, yet he was never truly outplayed.

"[Arteta] just turned me into a more [all-round] midfielder, in terms of someone who can do a little bit of everything," Rice said. "I heard Steven Gerrard talk about when he played, he [saw] himself as a midfielder that could do a little bit of everything. I kind of say the same. I can do a little bit of attack, a little bit of defending."

And there is something particularly appealing about that to the English consciousness. Rice is the kind of tough-tackling, hard-working midfielder that the Three Lions have needed for generations, and it is no wonder that so many England legends of the past name-check him as among the very best in his position.

"He’s going from strength to strength. I think he’s one of the best in the world," Steven Gerrard told TNT Sports when asked about Rice in March.

"It was a fantastic move for him. I wish we [Liverpool] signed him here, actually. West Ham did a great job under David Moyes, I think David Moyes has really schooled him in how to play the position tactically. His confidence from playing well for England and being around that group of players, he’s just gone to the next level now at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta."

In Gerrard's era, England had - if anything - too many central midfielders, but none matched Rice's profile, and that's perhaps why 'the Golden Generation' always fell short of expectations. Now, rather than being overcrowded, outnumbered or misused tactically, Rice is able act as a central figure for Tuchel's team.

It's also a fundamental fact that the England players all really seem to like him. Something of a goofy character, cringe-inducing videos of Rice dancing during his West Ham days exist on the internet, while his 'Rice Rice Baby' ads for Muller Rice are far from the height of cool. After West Ham's Under-18s won the FA Youth Cup in 2023, meanwhile, Rice walked into the dressing room, clad in a Prada jacket, and rapped along to Lil Baby with the victorious team.

But he is also a serious, vocal presence on the pitch. Leading team huddles or regrouping players after a goal seems to really mean something to him. In that sense, he is a natural complement to Odegaard at Arsenal - the vocal presence to support the more technical leader. For England, and the similarly softly-spoken Kane, he can play the same role.

"He sometimes doesn’t need to have the armband," Arteta explained. "When he talks, people listen and pay attention. He has got the natural ability to do that."

For all the intangibles, Rice is also producing some of the best performances of his career on the pitch. Bruno Fernandes might have been named the Premier League Player of the Season, but there are plenty who believe that Rice was more deserving of the accolade.

In England's second pre-tournament friendly, against Costa Rica, Rice showed just what he is capable of. After missing the drab 1-0 win over New Zealand as he recovered from the Champions League final, he was back in the line up for the rain-delayed contest in Orlando as Tuchel named what is likely to be his first-choice midfield of Rice, Bellingham and Elliot Anderson.

And so while Anderson held his position in front of the back four, Rice was free to roam. He scored the opening goal, darting into the penalty box and to sweep home Anthony Gordon's cut-back, and he continued to impress from there, combining well with Gordon on numerous occasions, while also covering plenty of ground in the few times England were hit on the break by an admittedly inferior opponent.

That level of play will be crucial this summer, and could make England's midfield legitimately dominant.

To be clear, England do not need to start succession planning for Kane quite yet. The Bayern Munich man has shown with his Ballon d'Or-worthy form this past season that he still has plenty of football left in him. But the time for a new captain to be appointed is sneaking over the horizon.

Kane will turn 33 during the World Cup, and this could well prove to be his final global tournament, with Euro 2028 on home soil sticking out as a natural end point for his international career.

Rice is five years younger than his skipper and is now well-positioned to succeed him. A new generation of England players are either in this squad already or on its fringes, and Rice is naturally suited in welcoming them into one of the most high-pressure environments in football.

The era of Kane the captain is heading towards its end - and Rice is already ready to succeed him when the time arrives.