Didier Deschamps, coach of the France team, praised N’Golo Kanté for his remarkable performance in the French midfield during the Blues’ victory against Austria (1-0), Monday at the Euro.
He had not played an international competitive match since the round of 16 of Euro 2021 lost to Switzerland (3-3, 4 tab 5). Almost three years later, N’Golo Kanté (33 years old, 56 caps, 2 goals) signed a magnificent performance with the French team against Austria (1-0), Monday when he entered the fray at Euro 2024. The midfielder, who played the entire match, was elected man of the match and even concluded it with the captain’s armband after Kylian Mbappé’s injury exit. A form of reward from Didier Deschamps, his eyes full of admiration when talking about the ‘NG’ (pronounced ‘Enji’) match.
“We needed this”
“You just have to look at what he did,” he responded to a question about his analysis of the match. “I took him for that. From the moment I was certain that he had recovered all his athletic abilities… He has tactical intelligence, the ability to recover balls, to project himself. Obviously he was brilliant today and so much the better because we needed that. He wasn’t alone, he was very well supported by Adrien Rabiot who also had a big kill and Antoine. (Griezmann) who was a little more concerned with the midfield area But ‘NG’, he is radiant, he shined.
The former Chelsea player was recalled somewhat to everyone’s surprise last May two years after his last selection (against Denmark in the Nations League). An absence caused by repeated injuries which notably caused him to miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Left for Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 after his departure from Chelsea, the former Caen player signed a full season with Al-Ittihad (44 matches, 4 goals, 6 assists) which convinced Deschamps to recall him for the Euro.
“It’s nice to find the France team again, to find my teammates and my abilities, it feels good,” Kanté confided at a press conference. “There is a lot of praise but we are not superhuman, the work we do together, for the team.” He also relished having worn the captain’s armband. “It’s the first time, I didn’t expect it, it was a game but it’s nice, it’s an honor. It was only a few moments, but it means a lot, and it’s is a source of pride.”
