40 Facts About N'Golo Kante

1.

N'Golo Kante was born on 29 March 1991 and is a French professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the France national team.

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2.

N'Golo Kante made his senior professional debut with Boulogne in 2012, appearing as a substitute in one Ligue 2 match, and played an entire season in the third division the following year.

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3.

N'Golo Kante was an integral part of the Leicester City team that went on to become surprise Premier League champions in 2016.

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4.

Individually, N'Golo Kante has been awarded the Premier League Player of the Season, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, the UEFA Men's Midfielder of the year and the Trophees UNFP for Best French Player Abroad twice.

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5.

N'Golo Kante made his senior international debut for France in 2016 and was included in the squad that finished runners-up at the 2016 European Championship.

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6.

In 2017 N'Golo Kante was named the French 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 the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning squad.

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7.

N'Golo Kante was rejected from the academy at Clairefontaine during this time.

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8.

N'Golo Kante recovered the ball more times over the season than any other player in Europe.

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9.

N'Golo Kante was scouted for Premier League club Leicester City by Steve Walsh, who had previously facilitated the transfers of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez to the team.

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10.

N'Golo Kante was identified as the successor to Esteban Cambiasso.

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11.

On 16 July 2016, N'Golo Kante signed a five-year deal with Chelsea who reportedly paid £32 million in transfer fees.

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12.

On 15 August 2016, N'Golo Kante made his competitive debut in their season opener against West Ham United.

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13.

On 26 December 2016, N'Golo Kante was named by L'Equipe as the world's sixth best footballer of 2016.

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14.

On 13 March 2017, N'Golo Kante was named man of the match and scored the only goal in the 51st minute, in an FA Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

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15.

N'Golo Kante was later named the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, and the Premier League Player of the Season.

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16.

N'Golo Kante become the first player since Eric Cantona in 1993 to win back-to-back top-flight titles in England with two clubs.

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17.

N'Golo Kante signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea on 23 November 2018, making him Chelsea's highest paid player.

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18.

N'Golo Kante has been out for almost a month including missing the Champions League opener against Valencia because of ankle injury.

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19.

In May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, N'Golo Kante chose to train from home after Chelsea resumed training on site.

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20.

N'Golo Kante was widely lauded for his performances against the Spanish sides, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, en-route to the final of the Champions League.

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21.

In later September 2021, N'Golo Kante tested positive for COVID-19 amid its pandemic, and was required to self-isolate for 10 days.

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22.

On 8 October, N'Golo Kante was one of five Chelsea players included in the final 30-man shortlist for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

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23.

N'Golo Kante declined on the basis that he was still trying to establish himself in Ligue 1.

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24.

On 17 March 2016, N'Golo Kante was selected for the France senior squad for the first time to face the Netherlands and Russia in friendlies.

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25.

N'Golo Kante featured in all 7 matches for France in the tournament.

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26.

In May 2021, N'Golo Kante was called up for the France squad for UEFA Euro 2020.

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27.

N'Golo Kante is set to miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup as he recovers from a serious hamstring injury.

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28.

Dynamic, diminutive, and disciplined player, N'Golo Kante is known for his relentless energy and excellent ball-winning abilities as a box-to-box midfielder in the centre of the pitch.

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29.

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—N'Golo Kante is capable of playmaking 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.

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30.

N'Golo Kante is quick up and down the pitch and often makes late attacking runs in to the box.

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31.

N'Golo Kante's game is considered as, or tasked with, doing the "dirty work", which includes running, fetching, and retrieving possession.

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32.

N'Golo Kante made the most tackles in Europe's top leagues in back-to-back seasons.

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33.

Under Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, N'Golo Kante was deployed in a more advanced midfield role—one that he previously played in at Leicester—showcasing his effectiveness in possession and ball-carrying duties.

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34.

N'Golo Kante was effective in both disrupting an opponent's possession play in the final-third as well as springing swift counter-attacks from the midfield.

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35.

N'Golo Kante was born in Paris to Malian parents who migrated to France from Mali in 1980.

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36.

N'Golo Kante grew up in a small apartment in Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine.

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37.

N'Golo Kante's father died shortly after N'Golo turned 11 and his elder sibling Niama died of a heart attack before the 2018 World Cup.

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38.

N'Golo Kante is named after King Ngolo Diarra of the Bamana Empire.

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39.

N'Golo Kante is aware of his public perception as a shy and private individual, but said that stories about him by current and former teammates, like Jamie Vardy, were often exaggerated.

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40.

N'Golo Kante's nickname is "NG, " and outside of football, he enjoys playing tennis.

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