Steven Gerrard quickly shut Martin Keown down from trying to reference comments made about Declan Rice on 'another show' following Arsenal's 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.

Rice scored a vital equaliser for the Gunners at the Allianz Arena, ensuring Mikel Arteta's side remain unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League this season. He put in an impressive display throughout ahead of Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The 27-year-old has been nominated for the award, although he isn't one of the favourites as a three-horse race between Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe looks to have unfolded. He enjoyed a superb 2025-26 campaign, playing a key role in his club's Premier League title win.

Rice's exploits for club and country earned him a place among this year's Ballon d'Or nominees. He has similarly made a strong start to this campaign and came to the fore in Arsenal's draw away to Bayern last night.

Gerrard had been talking up Rice's performance as a pundit for TNT Sports before Keown looked to recall Graeme Souness' assessment of the English midfielder not being a 'top midfield player'. This didn't go down well with his colleague, who told him:

"Oh, forget about that, Martin. You're thinking about things that are going on in your life away from here. Declan Rice is a world-class midfielder and that was a top, top goal. But you don't have to prove that because of all the other stuff that's going on on all the other shows."

Keown seemed to be alluding to Souness claiming that Rice wouldn't get into the starting lineups of some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Liverpool legend also argued that the England international is more of a centre-back than a holding midfielder.

Rice has been at Arsenal since the summer of 2023 after joining from West Ham United in an £105 million deal. He's regarded as one of the most influential players in the Premier League and a key reason the Gunners became champions last season.

'Pivotal' - Arteta Thinks Rice is One of the Best in the World

While Souness isn't a fan of Rice and doesn't believe he's among the top talents in world football, his Arsenal manager Arteta firmly disagrees. The Spaniard was eager to bring him to the Emirates three summers ago and his admiration of the Englishman is clear.

Arteta spoke back in January about his qualities and whether he sits among the world's best midfielders (via Sky Sports): "Yes, for me, yes. Declan is constantly adding things to his game, he's constantly adding things to his role in the team. I don't see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. He's such a pivotal player for us."

Rice has appeared 169 times for Arsenal, scoring 22 goals and providing 35 assists, a major threat in set-piece situations. He's outperformed his goal contributions from his time at West Ham despite playing fewer games.

Not only has Rice been crucial for Arteta but also while representing his country on international duty. Fatigue seemed to take hold during this past summer's World Cup but he starred at both Euro 2020 and 2024 when the Three Lions finished as runners up.