N'Golo Kanté also showed against Austria that he is an exceptional ball-winner.
Image: Keystone
Kanté first came to international attention in 2015/2016 when he shone in a Leicester shirt under the guidance of coach Claudio Ranieri and alongside Danny Drinkwater.
Image: Keystone
After Leicester, London club Chelsea was Kanté's home for many years.
Image: Keystone
Since last summer, he has been playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
Image: Keystone
What will national team coach Didier Deschamps do with Kanté now that his internal rival Aurélien Tchouaméni is fit again?
Image: Keystone
N'Golo Kanté also showed against Austria that he is an exceptional ball-winner.
Image: Keystone
Kanté first came to international attention in 2015/2016 when he shone in a Leicester shirt under the guidance of coach Claudio Ranieri and alongside Danny Drinkwater.
Image: Keystone
After Leicester, London club Chelsea was Kanté's home for many years.
Image: Keystone
Since last summer, he has been playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
Image: Keystone
What will national team coach Didier Deschamps do with Kanté now that his internal rival Aurélien Tchouaméni is fit again?
Image: Keystone
N'Golo Kanté has returned to France's national team after an absence of almost two years. There he amazes everyone.
21.06.2024, 04:01
21.06.2024, 06:58
SDA
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- N'Golo Kanté last played for the French national team two years ago. His nomination for the European Championship squad was viewed critically, especially as the midfield strategist has been playing in Saudi Arabia since the summer.
- In the opening game against Austria, Kanté silenced all his critics and was named "Man of the Match".
- The move to Saudi Arabia has done Kanté good. "I've learned to take on more responsibility."
Ever since N'Golo Kanté returned to the national team, the hype surrounding the midfielder has been unrelenting. His team-mates are the biggest admirers of his willingness to run and his intensity. "I have the feeling they've moved in as a threesome," marveled Marcus Thuram in May after a few days of training together at the Clairefontaine performance center near Paris.
Kanté has since impressed in Paderborn, where France have set up camp for the European Championship, and most recently in Düsseldorf, where he was honored as "Man of the Match" against Austria. When he came into the dressing room after receiving the small trophy on Monday evening, he was greeted with huge applause from his teammates. "It's crazy, just crazy," said Youssouf Fofana, commenting on Kanté's performance in the short clip released by the French FA.
In 2018, Kanté had been a crucial component on the way to the World Cup title. He became a fan favorite within a few weeks because he ran and fought without interruption, always appeared modest and had a smile ready for everything. When the then world champions were individually honored at the Stade de France in September 2018, the packed stadium made more noise for no player than for Kanté.
Surpise du Chef
Just a few weeks ago, no-one expected that the 168-centimetre-tall all-time great would make a return to the big stage. No expert in France expected N'Golo Kanté to be among the players called up for the European Championship. It was not until the day before national coach Didier Deschamps announced his selection in mid-May that the information leaked out in the form of rumors. In France, the comments on the matter were roughly balanced between joy and skepticism.
Kanté had been out of the French fans' spotlight for months, first because he was often injured at Chelsea FC and then because of his move to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ittihad last summer. Like Swiss national team coach Murat Yakin, who also decided on the possible selection of Haris Seferovic, who plays in the United Arab Emirates, on the basis of performance data, Deschamps also took a close look. He came to the conclusion that Kanté can still play at the best level despite playing football in high heat and with less intensity.
Desert switch as a liberating blow
For Kanté, the move to Saudi Arabia was not only lucrative, but also a small stroke of liberation. The player, who grew up in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes, had some problems with shady characters from his past after the World Cup title and was often injured after winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021. The new start in the desert was good for him. He has developed further, explained the now 33-year-old. "I've learned to take on more responsibility."
Kanté is still not the big talker, said midfield partner Adrien Rabiot, "but he is a leader thanks to his commitment." In the first preliminary round match against Austria, Kanté reeled off the most kilometers and closed the gaps as skillfully as ever. He never reduces his commitment. "It's terrible," Thuram commented with a laugh. "You can't play training games anymore. When you have him in the team, you know you're going to win."
A tough nut to crack for Deschamps
Unlike most top French players, Kanté did not make the leap to professional football via the academy of a top club, but instead took the hard route through France's 3rd and 2nd divisions before making a decisive contribution to Leicester's sensational league title in 2015/16 as the Premier League's big discovery of the season. Steve Walsh, the English club's chief scout at the time, described his team's game as follows: "Leicester play with a three-man midfield, Danny Drinkwater in the middle and Kanté on both sides."
Walsh thus justified the Kanté jokes, which have recently become increasingly popular again and work in a similar way to those of Chuck Norris. Just how highly Kanté, who they call N.G. (En-Tsche) in the team, is rated again was shown against Austria after Kylian Mbappé was substituted, when he was allowed to take over the vacant captaincy. Now that Aurélien Tchouaméni, the six-man who was originally set to return from injury, is back in the team for Friday evening's game against the Netherlands, Deschamps is faced with a problem. He has miscalculated: Kanté is simply too good for his intended role as stand-in.
