Pearce: Rice Can Win Games Alone, But Must Demand More From Himself

England's legendary defender Stuart Pearce has backed Declan Rice to become a transformative force at the upcoming World Cup, though he reckons the Arsenal midfielder still has untapped potential waiting to be unleashed on the international stage.

With Thomas Tuchel now at the helm following Gareth Southgate's departure, the Three Lions arrive in North America as genuine contenders to end their 60-year drought for major honours. Their semi-final appearance four years ago and consecutive European Championship finals under Southgate have provided the blueprint—now Tuchel must deliver the trophy.

The pre-tournament preparations haven't set pulses racing, yet Pearce sees genuine reasons for optimism. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he highlighted how English football has evolved tactically compared to his playing days, when a one-dimensional approach dominated.

"We certainly are a cuter team now," Pearce explained. "It was like one-size-fits-all in my day. It was a physical encounter, we played the way England did and if someone goes down cheaply, you're shouting at them to get up. That era has gone."

He continued: "We've become a lot more streetwise in English football, and in some ways that's a shame. We watch players going down cheaply in the Premier League and it doesn't sit well with the crowd. You can hear the complaining. We have to take the good things about English football, like the tempo, but also incorporate one or two bits that will make us very effective on the international stage. We are doing a lot of things right."

Rice's chance to dominate

If England are to finally break the curse, Pearce has identified Rice as a potential Golden Ball winner—the tournament's standout performer. The midfielder possesses the physical attributes, technical ability, and mentality to control proceedings single-handedly.

"With Dec, you think he could win a game on his own, because of his physical prowess, his ability on the ball, and you're thinking: 'Maybe [he could do] a little bit more'," Pearce said. "I probably thought the same, back in the day at West Ham, but you don't say that about many players."

The former West Ham skipper draws from personal experience when assessing Rice's trajectory. Pearce observed how Rice demonstrated his set-piece ability by scoring two spectacular free-kicks against Real Madrid in April 2025—yet hasn't been tasked with many dead-ball responsibilities since.

"I was renowned for taking free-kicks and I saw Dec score two wonder free-kicks against Real Madrid," Pearce noted. "I've barely seen him take one since. Like Dec, I could score from free-kicks and if I were him I'd be saying to my team-mates 'Get out of my way. I'm taking this and I'm taking all of them, unless you can do better than me'."

The message is clear: Rice possesses everything needed to dominate at the World Cup, but must demand the ball and embrace that responsibility with complete conviction.