Wayne Rooney Earmarks 26-Year-Old Arsenal Star As England's Next Captain

Last Updated:December 22, 2025, 20:03 IST

Wayne Rooney praises Declan Rice as a future England captain, highlighting his leadership and consistency at Arsenal.

Declan Rice has been Arsenal's best player in 2025-26. (AP Photo)

Wayne Rooney sees a future England captain in Arsenal’s Declan Rice. Impressed with the midfielder’s performance against his former club Everton in the Premier League, Rooney said the midfielder is ready to take over from Harry Kane whenever the 32-year-old decides to hang up his boots.

Rice’s success at Arsenal can be determined by the fact that there’s hardly any discussion about his huge £105m (INR 1, 265 crore at current exchange rates) transfer fee from West Ham United. Despite being behind Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in the pecking order at Arsenal, Rice is among the most consistent in the team, putting in high-intensity 90 minutes in almost every match to marshal the Gunners’ midfield.

“For me, he’s the one who’s probably waiting for Harry [Kane] to hang up his boots at some point," Rooney said in the latest episode of BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show. “He was all over the pitch [against Everton]. His decision-making — when to pass it, where to pass it, what foot to pass it to, his detail on his pass — it was a pleasure to watch. He was absolutely incredible," he added.

Recently, Kane said that Rice and Saka were part of the England ‘leadership group’.

“He was splitting centre-backs, taking the ball off [Arsenal’s] centre-backs, acting as a third centre-back, then next minute he’s in the box, trying to score a goal. Sometimes, some of the stuff he does is a bit underrated. He’s the right one to take over [Kane] for me, because [of] his drive, his personality. Everyone seems to love him, who knows him, who’s close to him. He’s irreplaceable for England."

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has been asked about Rice’s leadership qualities several times, and he has often commented on how the 26-year-old doesn’t need the armband to show them on the field.

The North London club is top of the Premier League with a slender two-point lead over Manchester City, and perfect in the UEFA Champions League with six wins in as many games.

News sports football Wayne Rooney Earmarks 26-Year-Old Arsenal Star As England's Next Captain

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