France team midfielder N’Golo Kanté is one of the best players in his position.
If he has disappeared from the radars of Europe and France, N’Golo Kanté has created a new life for himself in Saudi Arabia, he who is now spared from injuries. As proof, Kanté is the midfielder selected by Deschamps for Euro 2024 most often used this season with 3,777 minutes in total. “I have no doubt about his athletic abilities” explained Didier Deschamps during his surprise selection for the Euro. “N’Golo is still above the rest in his ability to make efforts, continues this astute observer of the Saudi championship. And he is even looking forward more than during his last years in Europe. ” indicated Larry Azouni for the Parisian.
“He hasn’t lost anything. He has a thousand lungs. But to only mention his extraordinary activity would be simplistic: not only does he run a lot, but he runs intelligently. He knows how to position himself, anticipate, read the game. He has always been like that, but he has improved in this regard with time and experience” explained Kylian Mbappé in Ouest France.
Short biography of N’Golo Kanté
Born in Paris on March 29, 1991, N’Golo Kanté discovered and played football from a very young age. Even if the young player regularly outperforms his teammates, he does not manage to join a training center that would allow him to follow a clear path. However, it is clear that the talent is already very present in the young boy. However, he would have to wait for his last season in honorary promotion and his 10 goals scored to be spotted by US Boulogne, a Ligue 2 club with whom he signed an amateur contract in 2010. It was therefore in CFA 2 with the B team that N’Golo Kanté begins his career. Two years later, N’Golo Kanté joined the first team which then moved back to National 1 and established himself as an indisputable midfielder.
Building on this first experience, N’Golo Kanté joined the Stade Malherbe Caen team in 2013. The following year, the Norman club was promoted to Ligue 1. This is the first time that the midfielder officiates among the elite of French football. His performances and his athletic quality are unanimously praised, propelling him to the rank of a true revelation of the championship in the 2014-2015 season. From then on, transfer rumors are rife.
Announced in turn at Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais or even West Ham, it is however with the English club Leicester City, then coached by Claudio Ranieri, that the midfielder signs a new contract for four years. His transfer is then estimated at 8 million euros. N’Golo Kanté’s bet to join the English club turns out to be a true stroke of genius. Against all odds, his team managed to defy all odds and win the English championship during the 2015-2016 season for the first time in its history. Throughout the season, commentators have continually praised the man everyone considers to be “the best rookie in the Premier League”
With his title of English champion in his pocket, N’Golo Kanté heads towards a new adventure by joining the London club Chelsea within which he establishes himself as an indisputable starter. The player continues to improve, playing more matches and scoring a series of goals. He also discovered the international scene by playing in the Europa League and the Champions League. Thanks to his exceptional results, N’Golo Kanté is called up regularly by the coach of the France team, Didier Deschamps. It is therefore quite natural that he participates and wins the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia in the final against Croatia, within the big Blues family. Although he participated well in the final, N’Golo Kanté was not able to stay on the field until the end of the match. The midfielder had to give way to Steven Nzonzi during the second half, unwell with gastroenteritis.
Affected by numerous injuries in recent years, the Frenchman has regained his level in the Saudi Arabian championship, stringing together great performances which allowed him to find his way back to the French team.
With Leicester City, N’Golo Kanté won the English championship in 2016. He repeated this feat in 2017, but this time with Chelsea FC. Still in the colors of the London club, the midfielder won his first Europa League in 2019. With the French team, the footballer holds one of the greatest titles of his career: that of world champion by winning the Grail with the Blues in 2018! N’Golo Kanté has also obtained numerous individual distinctions: he was notably named French player of the year in 2017, best player of the year for Leicester City in 2016. He was also elected man of the match during the final of the Champions League in 2021.
N’Golo Kanté is one of the highest paid French football players currently. According to estimates, the midfielder who officiates at Chelsea would benefit from a monthly salary of 730,000 euros (bonuses not included), which represents 8.8 million euros gross per year. His total fortune is estimated at more than 28 million euros. Added to this are the commercial contracts and/or partnerships with the different brands. N’Golo Kanté would be the highest paid player in the history of the Chelsea club. Having left for Saudi Arabia, the Frenchman earns around 25 million euros per season at Al Ittihad.
N’Golo Kanté grew up in Rueil-Malmaison, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, surrounded by his four brothers and four sisters. His parents are Malian immigrants. N’Golo Kanté also has dual nationality, French and Malian. In his childhood, his mother worked as a cleaner while his father was a garbage collector. When he was only 11 years old, N’Golo Kanté lost his father. A tragedy which will have a resounding impact on his life and on his determination to succeed in providing for his family. Years later, N’Golo Kanté experiences a new family tragedy. Just a few weeks before the 2018 World Cup, the midfielder must deal with the sudden and brutal death of one of his brothers, who tragically died of a heart attack. Very discreet about his love life, N’Golo Kanté is still single.
