Premier League legend Patrick Vieira made special mention of Arsenal star Rice in an interview, praising him as a comprehensive midfielder with leadership qualities.

Since the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season, Rice has contributed one goal and two assists to Arsenal and has always played an important role in the game.

It is worth mentioning that the 26-year-old Rice and the England national team had earlier secured a ticket to the 2026 World Cup two rounds in advance.

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira said, "I am a big fan of Rice. He is a complete midfielder. When I watched him play, I saw that he has great mobility. He can go forward and attack, but he can also steal the ball. He is very powerful and is one of the best players active."

"When I was at Arsenal, we had Tony Adams, who was the heart and soul of the team. He was a very charismatic leader, very inspiring. I was different to him, I was more reserved. So there are different types and styles of leadership, and Rice's style was different, but he also showed leadership qualities, but in his own way."

In addition, after this international match day, Arsenal will travel to Fulham in the next round of the Premier League. Currently, Arsenal ranks first in the standings with 16 points, one point ahead of the defending champions Liverpool, who are in second place, and the championship race is very fierce.

Patrick Vieira said: "When I look at this team, frankly, no one can say that Arsenal has lost their passion and blood. I see that passion on the sidelines from Arteta, he is full of desire to win and compete. Since Arteta took office, the club has taken another important step forward."

"Now they are really competitive. They have been very good for the past two years and are now on the right path to compete for the league title and to compete with any team. The difference this time is the summer signings. In the past year or two, when the team was missing one or two, or even three key players, it became difficult."

Patrick Vieira continued, "They have to beat Manchester City and then face Liverpool. Any points lost will be costly. But now even if they are missing one or two people, they can still send new players and remain competitive. This is the key difference."