Kanté made his senior professional debut withBoulogne in 2012, appearing as a substitute in oneLigue 2 match, and played an entire season in thethird division the following year. After that he joinedLigue 2 sideCaen on a free transfer, finished third and won promotion toLigue 1. He stayed with the club for one more year, where he helped lead the team to a mid-table finish. In 2015, Kanté joinedLeicester City for a fee worth £5.6 million.
Kanté was an integral part of the Leicester City team that were surprisePremier League champions in 2016. The following year, he joined Chelsea for a fee worth £32 million and again won the league, making him the first outfield player to win consecutive English league titles with different clubs sinceEric Cantona in1992 and1993.[7] With Chelsea he won theFA Cup, theUEFA Europa League, theUEFA Champions League, theUEFA Super Cup, and theFIFA Club World Cup. After seven seasons with Chelsea, he left on a free transfer to Saudi clubAl-Ittihad during the summer of 2023.
Kanté made his senior international debut for France in 2016 and was included in the squad that finished runners-up at the2016 European Championship. In 2017, Kanté was named theFrench Player of the Year, a first for a player from the Premier League in seven years, and twelve months later was a key member of the2018 FIFA World Cup winningsquad.
Born in Paris to Malian parents,[8] Kanté began his career at the age of eight at JS Suresnes, in the western suburbs of the capital, remaining there for a decade. According to assistant manager Pierre Ville, Kanté remained outside the radar of big teams because of his small stature and selfless styles of play.[9] He was rejected from the academy atClairefontaine during this time.[clarification needed][10] During his last season with Suresnes, inPromotion d'Honneur (PH, French 9th senior level), he scored 10 goals.[11][12] In 2010, afterArsenal managerArsène Wenger passed on the offer of signing Kanté, Suresnes' president (one of Wenger's best friends) personally drove him around to visit different clubs.[13] He joined the reserve team ofBoulogne, and made his professional debut in the last game of theLigue 2season on 18 May 2012, a 1–2 home defeat for his already relegated team toMonaco. He replacedVirgile Reset for the final 11 minutes.[14]
In 2013, he joined Ligue 2 sideCaen and played all 38 games in his first season as they came third in Ligue 2, earning them promotion toLigue 1. In his second match on 9 August, he scored his first goal to equalise in a 2–1 win atLaval;[16] he levelled again with his other goal of the campaign on 11 April 2014, in a 3–2 win atIstres.[17]
The following season, Kanté played 37 games as Caen remained in the top flight; his one absence was suspension through being sent off in a 0–1 home loss toRennes on 30 August.[18] Three weeks earlier, he scored their first goal of the season in a 3–0 win atEvian.[19] He recovered the ball more times over the season than any other player in Europe.[9]
Kanté was scouted forPremier League clubLeicester City bySteve Walsh, who had previously facilitated the transfers ofJamie Vardy andRiyad Mahrez to the team.[20] He was identified as the successor toEsteban Cambiasso.[10] On 3 August 2015, he joined Leicester on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee reported to be worth €8 million (£5.6 million).[21][22] He made his debut five days later by replacing Vardy for the final eight minutes of a 4–2 home win overSunderland. On 7 November, he scored his first Premier League goal, in a 2–1 home win againstWatford.[23]
He earned much praise and many plaudits for his consistently impressive displays for Leicester, and was widely considered to be a major factor in the club's excellent form as they went on to win the2015–16 Premier League, consistently making a high number of tackles and interceptions.[24][25] In April, he was one of four Leicester players named in thePFA Team of the Year.[26] By the end of the season, Kanté had managed 175 tackles (31 more than any other player) and 157 interceptions (15 more than any other player), topping the defensive stats at the end of the 2015–16 Premier League season.[27]
On 16 July 2016, Kanté signed a five-year deal withChelsea who reportedly paid£32 million in transfer fees.[28][29] Arsenal allegedly backed out of the deal due to agent fees involved which totaled more than £10 million, instead opting to signGranit Xhaka.[30] Due to disputes arising from the sharing of agent fees, Kanté was reported to have been subject to death threats,[31] a claim which he later denied.[32] Kanté was given the number 7 shirt, left vacant since the exit ofRamires in January.[33] According toFootball Leaks, Chelsea offered to transfer a part of the salary into an offshore account to avoid taxes. Kanté refused; his lawyer stated in an email that "N'Golo is flexible, he simply wants a normal salary."[34]
On 15 August 2016, Kanté made his competitive debut in their season opener againstWest Ham United. Despite picking up a yellow card in the first three minutes of the game, he shone as the game went on, to help Chelsea to a 2–1 victory.[35] Three months after his move to London, he faced his former side Leicester City for the first time, and was Man of the Match in a 3–0 victory.[36] On 23 October, he scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 4–0 home win againstManchester United.[37]
On 26 December 2016, Kanté was named byL'Équipe as the world's sixth best footballer of 2016.[38] On 13 March 2017, Kanté was named man of the match and scored the only goal in the 51st minute, in anFA Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United atStamford Bridge.[39][40] On 20 April, Kanté was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.[41] He was also later named thePFA Players' Player of the Year,[42] theFWA Footballer of the Year,[43] and thePremier League Player of the Season.[44] Kanté become the first player sinceEric Cantona in 1993 to win back‑to-back top-flight titles in England with two clubs.[45] Kanté was nominated for theBallon d'Or in October 2017.[46] He would go on to gain anFA Cup winners medal, appearing for the whole 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United in the final on 19 May 2018. BBC Sport awarded him the man of the match award.[47]
He signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea on 23 November 2018, making him Chelsea's highest-paid player.[48] Kanté scored the first goal of Chelsea's 2–1EFL Cup semi-final second leg win at home toTottenham Hotspur. The score was tied 2–2 on aggregate at the end of 90 minutes, with Chelsea winning the shootout 4–2.[49] Kanté scored on his 300th club appearance, a 2–2 home draw against Burnley on 22 April.[50] Despite not being fully fit, Kanté started the2018–19 Europa League final and dominated Arsenal's midfield[51] as Chelsea won 4–1.[52]
Kanté started the 2019 Premier League campaign from the bench as Chelsea suffered a 4–0 away defeat to Manchester United.[53] He had been out for almost a month including missing theChampions League opener againstValencia because of ankle injury.[54] Kanté scored the only goal in a 1–2 loss againstLiverpool at Stamford Bridge on 22 September 2019.[55] His first goal of the season was nominated for thePremier League Goal of the Month award along with his Chelsea teammateFikayo Tomori.[56] Kanté marked his 150th Chelsea appearance with a goal againstManchester City, in a 1–2 away defeat on 23 November.[57] Later that month Kanté revealed he decided against moving toPSG and said, "‘Sometimes we do not necessarily know where we want to go, but we know what we have." He said he felt good in London and had faith in the project at Chelsea.[58]
In May 2020 during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Kanté chose to train from home after Chelsea resumed training on site. The club supported his stance, even if he would miss the rest of the season.[59] Kanté impressed in the Premier League opener againstBrighton & Hove Albion, in a 3–1 away win on 14 September 2020.[60][61]
He marked his 200th appearance in all competitions with the club 23 February 2021 as Chelsea beatAtlético Madrid 1–0 in the Champions League round of 16.[62][63] Kanté was widely lauded for his performances against the Spanish sides, Atlético Madrid[64] andReal Madrid, en-route to thefinal of the Champions League.[65] He was namedplayer of the match as he won his firstUEFA Champions League after Chelsea defeatedManchester City 1–0 in the2021 UEFA Champions League Final inPorto.[66]Arsène Wenger described Kanté's performance as "unbelievable",[67] and commentators argued that Kanté's performance in the Champions League put him in contention for the 2021Ballon d’Or.[68][69][70][71][72] In anticipation of the award, Kante said that "it's a great individual award for players, but I see it as the result of a season. It's not necessarily an objective I'm working on."[73]
In later September 2021, Kanté tested positive forCOVID-19 amid itspandemic, and was required to self-isolate for 10 days.[78] On 8 October, Kanté was one of five Chelsea players included in the final 30-man shortlist for the 2021Ballon d'Or.[79] On 13 February 2022, he helped Chelsea to their firstFIFA Club World Cup triumph in a 2–1 win overPalmeiras.[80] On 14 August 2022, he suffered a hamstring injury during a match against Tottenham Hotspur,[81] which kept him sidelined until April 2023.[82]
Born to Malian parents, Kanté was approached byMali ahead of the2015 Africa Cup of Nations having not played for France in any of their age group teams. Kanté declined on the basis that he was still trying to establish himself in Ligue 1.[84] Mali issued a further invitation to Kanté in January 2016,[85] although he stated that he was still undecided about which national team to represent should he get an invitation from France.[86]
On 17 March 2016, Kanté was selected for theFrance senior squad for the first time to face theNetherlands andRussia in friendlies.[87] He made his debut against the former eight days later, replacingLassana Diarra at half-time in a 3–2 win at theAmsterdam Arena.[88] On his 25th birthday, 29 March, he made his first start and scored to open a 4–2 win over Russia at theStade de France; fellow birthday celebrantDimitri Payet also scored.[89]
On 10 June 2016, Kanté appeared in his first competitive match for France by starting theopening match of Euro 2016 againstRomania; he played the entire match, made the most passes, the most tackles, the most interceptions, covered the most distance on the pitch andassisted Dimitri Payet's winning goal in a 2–1 victory.[90][91][92] In theround of 16 match against theRepublic of Ireland at theParc Olympique Lyonnais, Kanté picked up a yellow card in the 27th minute (his second of Euro 2016 which would cause him to be suspended from the quarter-final) and was replaced withKingsley Coman in the 46th minute with the French trailing 0–1 at half time.[93] Kanté was unused inthe final, which France lost 1–0 toPortugal after extra time.[94]
On 17 May 2018, he was called up to the 23-manFrench squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by managerDidier Deschamps.[95] He featured in all seven matches for France in the tournament.[96] He was awarded Man of the Match in a 0–0 draw againstDenmark in the final match of the group stage on 26 June,[97] and on 15 July, Kanté started in France's 4–2 win overCroatia in thefinal of the tournament.[98]
In May 2021, Kanté was called up for the France squad forUEFA Euro 2020.[99]
He helped France win the2021 Nations League, playing in the group stages but missing the semifinal and final due to contracting COVID-19.[100] Kanté missed the2022 FIFA World Cup as he recovered from a serious hamstring injury.[101]
On 16 May 2024, Kanté made his return to the France squad after he was selected by Deschamps forUEFA Euro 2024.[102] On 17 June, he was awarded player of the match in the opening encounter againstAustria, which ended in a 1–0 victory; in addition he was handed the captain armband for the first time by the end of the game.[103] Four days later, he achieved back-to-back player of the match honors in a goalless draw against the Netherlands.[104] Following the round of 16 victory overBelgium, he became the player with most matches without defeat in the European competition in 12 games, breaking previous record ofXavi.[105] After the quarter-final win over Portugal on penalties, he became the first player to reach 20 consecutive undefeated matches in major tournaments, breaking the previous record held by Xavi.[106]
A dynamic, diminutive, and disciplined player,[107][108][109] Kanté is known for his relentless energy and excellent ball-winning abilities as adefensive midfielder in the centre of the pitch.[110][111][112][113][114] This is attributed to his strong positional sense, off the ball movement, and ability to read the game.[115] Predominantly known for his tactical awareness, intelligence, anticipation, and the defensive aspect of his game—his ability to tackle and regain possession, intercept passes, and block shots—Kanté is also capable ofplaymaking from inside his own half and is an efficient passer on the counter-attack, helping kick start attacking plays immediately after winning back the ball. He is also quick up and down the pitch and often makes late attacking runs in to the box.[108][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122] A late bloomer, by the age of 21, Kanté had only made one senior appearance in thesecond tier of French football. He credits his calm and composed demeanor on the pitch to his gradual rise throughthree levels in the football league pyramid.[123]
Kanté citesLassana Diarra[111][116] andClaude Makélélé, with whom he is often compared, as inspirations but insists he has his own style and approach towards the game,[124][125] one which is unconventional[72][126] and described as "false four",[127] "relayeur",[126] "carrilero",[128][129] and "mezzala".[128][130] His game is considered as, or tasked with, doing the "dirty work", which includes running, fetching, and retrieving possession. Though Kanté does not necessarily enjoy his role, he once said, "[the] satisfaction in recovering a ball, in protecting my team from an opponent's attack" is what keeps him going.[123] Kanté made the most tackles inEurope's top leagues in back-to-back seasons (14–15 and 15–16).[131][132] In his first 150 Premier League appearances he totaled 92 wins, 28 losses and 10 goals. During his time in the Premier League, he never received a red card.[133][51]
Under Chelsea managerMaurizio Sarri, Kanté was deployed in a moreadvanced midfield role—one that he previously played in at Leicester—showcasing his effectiveness in possession and ball-carrying duties.[134] In 2021, Tuchel restored Kanté in a "double six"holding midfield role to great effect, predominantly on the right-hand side,[51] and usually partnered either byJorginho orMateo Kovačić.[135] Kanté was effective in both disrupting an opponent's possession play in the final-third as well as springing swift counter-attacks from the midfield.[51][136]
In April 2016,Alex Ferguson hailed Kanté as the best player in thePremier League,[108] while the following year, former Chelsea midfielderFrank Lampard labelled him the best central midfielder in the world.[122] His World Cup winning midfield partner,Paul Pogba, said he could outrun an entire team of 11 players.[118] His league-title winning manager,Claudio Ranieri, often joked about him having "batteries" and said: "One day, I'm going to see you cross the ball and then finish the cross with a header yourself."[108]
Thomas Tuchel, with whom Kanté won the2020–21 Champions League,[137] said, "If you play with N'Golo you have half a man more; this is unique. It is a pleasure to be his coach, he is a big gift for me, a guy so, so humble and who is such a big helper on the pitch."[51] Off the pitch, Kanté's former Chelsea manager,Antonio Conte, praised his work ethic and constant willingness to improve.[117][119] A popularInternet meme that70% of the planet is covered by water and the rest by the Kanté twins exemplifies his standing among the fans and their recognition of his work ethic and reading of the game.[123][138]
Kanté is a practicing Muslim.[139][140] He was born in Paris to Malian parents who migrated to France from Mali in 1980.[8] He grew up in a small apartment inRueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine.[9] His father died shortly after N'Golo turned 11 and his older sibling Niama died of a heart attack before the 2018 World Cup.[141]
He is named after KingNgolo Diarra of theBamana Empire.[142] His younger sister was also in the youth system at Suresnes.[9]Ronaldo,Ronaldinho andDiego Maradona were his favourite players growing up. At the age of 21, while playing for Boulogne, he earned a diploma in vocational accounting.[121]
At the start of his professional career at Boulogne, he commuted to training on akick scooter and as of 2018 drove aMini Hatch—his first purchase in England because he found it easy to learn to drive in.[9][121] Kanté is aware of his public perception as a shy and private individual, but also said that stories about him by current and former teammates, likeJamie Vardy, were often exaggerated.[123][143][144][145]
Kanté's nickname is "NG," and outside of football, he enjoys playing tennis. His go-to karaoke song isVegedream's "Ramenez la coupe à la maison". During his initiation at Chelsea, which he described as a "stressful moment," his teammates said he was not loud enough. His favourite dish isthieboudienne because of his mother's cooking.[146]
On 28 June 2023, it was published that Kanté stepped into the world of club ownership in Belgium. He acquiredRoyal Excelsior Virton, athird-division team, fromFlavio Becca, with the official transfer of ownership scheduled for 1 July.[147]
^ab"Décret du 31 décembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 31 December 2018 on promotion and appointment].Official Journal of the French Republic (in French).2019 (1). 1 January 2019. PRER1835394D.Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved28 November 2020.
^House, Future Publishing Limited Quay; Ambury, The; Engl, Bath BA1 1UA All rights reserved; number 2008885, Wales company registration (21 March 2019)."Ranked! The 10 best central midfielders in the world".FourFourTwo.Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved6 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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