REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
As things stand, Declan Rice appears to be in his prime. The 27-year-old won the Premier League and made the Champions League final last season with Arsenal, while also starring as England finished third at the 2026 World Cup.
There are few better midfielders in the world right now, with Rice a first-name-on-the-team-sheet sort of player for both club and country. He's even among the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Having reached such a peak, the Englishman has played with many greats of the modern era. However, one stands out as his most underrated teammate.
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Rice Felt Former West Ham Star Was Underrated
West Ham United's Declan Rice.
Speaking to Swedish broadcaster Viaplay, Rice was asked several quick-fire questions, including who is ‘the best player’ he has played alongside. He overlooked his current Arsenal chums to name England captain and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane.
He was then asked to pick his 'most underrated' teammate. This answer was a little less obvious, however, as he instantly replied:
Rice played alongside the former West Ham star from 2015 to 2022, later taking over as club captain. Noble spent his entire senior career with the Hammers – beyond two brief loan spells at Hull City and Ipswich Town – with 550 appearances in total.
With that in mind, it's little wonder he'll forever be known as 'Mr. West Ham' but for all his years shining in the middle of the park for the East London outfit, Noble never won an international cap. He even represented England at U16, U17, U18, U19 and U21 levels, captaining the latter, but failed to get a senior call-up.
Rice played alongside Noble 120 times in total, catching the back end of his career. He was an early inspiration too, as he said when breaking into the team at just 19:
Rice certainly lived up to the hype, captaining the club to Europa Conference League glory in 2023, just 12 months after Noble hung up his boots.
Noble Supported Rice's Arsenal Move
REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Noble had a lot of love for his former teammate as well. Despite being 'Mr. West Ham', he made it clear that Rice had every right to leave the club and join Arsenal, explaining:
“We’re West Ham and these players want to go out and play Champions League football – and do you blame them? Dec is no different. Dec will always be hailed at West Ham as a fantastic player and such a top, top person.
Ballon d'Or Power Rankings
Ballon d'Or Power Rankings
He added: “He’s said openly he loves playing at West Ham, but he has got ambitions as a player to go and play in the Champions League and win trophies.
“I don’t think any West Ham fan can actually have an agenda over that. Do you blame him for having really big ambitions? Of course you don’t. If he didn’t, he probably wouldn’t be as good as he is.”
Seeing as Rice is now a Premier League champion with Arsenal, and West Ham are a Championship side, it certainly looks as though the 27-year-old made the right call.