In front of a forest of camera lenses, French players compete to pose with the world championship trophy. Everyone wants to capture memorable moments of their career and life. There was only one guy standing quietly watching. He was too shy and embarrassed to step forward and ask to hold the trophy. That moment is perhaps the clearest reflection of N’Golo Kante as a person.
Quiet, humble and always kind. That is Kante ‘s personality . On the field, he is a monster, an excellent interception midfielder. He is a terror to opponents, even if it is Kevin De Bruyne or Lionel Messi. French legend Marcel Desailly had to exclaim: “71% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest is covered by Kante”.
In the summer of 2016, Kante and Leicester City won the Premier League. The following season, Kante won the tournament in a Chelsea shirt. In the summer of 2018, the reward for Kante’s excellence was the gold trophy for world champion.
Kante is strong on the field
But off the field, Kante is a quiet and shy person. Eric Vandenabeele, a former teammate of Kante at Club Boulogne, told FourFourTwo magazine: “Once I watched TV with him. While I was shouting and rambling about all sorts of things, Kante just sat there. His way My response was just to laugh and laugh.”
Faced with his teammates’ teasing, Kante could only laugh.
Kante plays like a superstar but he doesn’t want to be a star himself. All coaches and players who have worked with Kante speak of the humble midfielder’s humility. “Kante never wanted to be a star. Even now, he doesn’t want to be bothered by fame. Kante just plays football and wants to be the best he can be,” Vandenabeele said.
No parties, no girlfriends
Kante comes from a large family. Kante has 4 brothers and 4 sisters. Difficulties piled up for the family when Kante’s father passed away when he was only 11 years old. From a young age, Kante had to help his mother pick up scraps and bottles to feed the family. The only way they can survive is to work and work hard.
Kante used to collect scraps and bottles and sell ice on the street
That was deeply engrained in Kante’s personality even when he was already a famous player. Kante does not have a habit of partying like other Premier League stars. Kante doesn’t see the joy that the loud music and bright lights of a nightclub bring.
Instead, he spends his free time pursuing his academic goals. While playing for Boulogne, Kante took advantage of his free time to study and graduated with an accounting degree.
Kante also has an incredibly simple life. When playing for Leicester, Kante went to the training ground by motorbike.
Much later, Kante bought an old Renault to speed up his travel. Coming to Chelsea, he received a salary of 110,000 pounds/week, but Kante went to the training ground in an old Mini Cooper that cost 20,000 pounds. In the parking lot, that Mini Cooper was nestled among the angry Ferraris.
Kante shyly stood last at the ceremony honoring the French team at the Champs-Elysees Palace
Tomasz Bzymek, Kante’s former coach at FC Suresnes, revealed to Sport.pl: “After training, Kante just returns home and rests. There are no nightclubs, no bars.” Even at the age of 27, Kante still does not have a lover.
N’golo Kante: Defender of France’s dream of winning the 2018 World Cup
N’golo Kante has proven to be the best interception midfielder, the key to helping the French team reach the 2018 World Cup final and hope for the championship.
Kante’s shyness and humility made him loved by all his teammates. The day France won the World Cup, his teammates gathered around Kante, encouraging him to come out and take pictures with the golden trophy. On the bus back to the hotel, everyone sang “Kante, Kante” to express gratitude for his contributions.