N'Golo Kanté (part1)

N'Golo Kanté, born on 29 March 1991, is a highly regarded French professional footballer known for his exceptional work rate and defensive abilities. His career journey showcases his talent and success at various clubs.Kanté made his senior professional debut with Boulogne in 2012, initially appearing as a substitute in one Ligue 2 match. He then spent a full season in the third division in the following year. His talents caught the attention of Ligue 2 side Caen, and he joined them on a free transfer. In his first season, Caen finished third and secured promotion to Ligue 1. Kanté stayed with the club for another season, contributing to a mid-table finish.


Kanté made a significant move to Leicester City for a fee of £5.6 million. He played a pivotal role in the team's remarkable journey to winning the Premier League title in the 2015-2016 season. The following year, he transferred to Chelsea for a fee of £32 million. Remarkably, he achieved consecutive English league titles with different clubs, becoming the first outfield player to do so since Eric Cantona in 1992 and 1993.


During his seven seasons with Chelsea, Kanté enjoyed immense success, winning multiple major trophies, including the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. In the summer of 2023, he made a move to the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad on a free transfer.Individually, Kanté has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Premier League Player of the Season, PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, UEFA Men's Midfielder of the Year, and the Trophées UNFP for Best French Player Abroad, which he has won twice.


On the international stage, Kanté made his senior debut for the French national team in 2016. He was a part of the squad that finished runners-up at the 2016 European Championship. In 2017, he was named the French Player of the Year, and a year later, he played a crucial role in France's victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


N'Golo Kanté's early life and career reflect his journey from the suburbs of Paris to professional football success. Born to Malian parents in Paris, Kanté began his football journey at the age of eight with JS Suresnes in the western suburbs of the city. Despite his talent, his small stature and unselfish style of play kept him under the radar of larger teams. Kanté even faced rejection from the prestigious Clairefontaine academy during this period.
During his ten-year stint with JS Suresnes, playing in the Promotion d'Honneur , which is the French 9th senior level, Kanté demonstrated his skills by scoring 10 goals in his last season with the club. In 2010, despite an offer to sign Kanté, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger declined, and Suresnes' president, who happened to be one of Wenger's close friends, took a proactive approach. Personally driving Kanté to visit different clubs, he eventually joined the reserve team of Boulogne.


Kanté made his professional debut for Boulogne in the last game of the Ligue 2 season on 18 May 2012, in a 1–2 home defeat to Monaco. Coming on as a substitute for the final 11 minutes, it marked the beginning of his journey in professional football. In the subsequent 2012–13 season, he played in the third-tier Championnat National, showcasing consistency by missing only one league game. On 10 August, he scored his first senior goal in a 1-0 win over Luzenac at the Stade de la Libération, adding two more goals over the course of the season. This period laid the foundation for Kanté's rise to prominence in the football world.


N'Golo Kanté made a significant move to Chelsea, signing a five-year deal with the club for a reported transfer fee of £32 million. Arsenal was initially linked with Kanté but reportedly withdrew from the deal due to high agent fees, choosing to sign Granit Xhaka instead. This decision led to disputes over agent fees, and Kanté was even reported to have received death threats, though he later denied these claims.


Assigned the number 7 shirt, Kanté made his competitive debut for Chelsea on 15 August 2016, in a season opener against West Ham United. Despite receiving a yellow card in the first three minutes, he played a crucial role in Chelsea's 2–1 victory. Three months later, he faced his former team, Leicester City, for the first time and was named Man of the Match in a 3–0 victory. Kanté scored his first goal for Chelsea on 23 October 2016, contributing to a 4–0 home win against Manchester United.


L'Équipe ranked Kanté as the world's sixth-best footballer of the year. On 13 March 2017, he scored the only goal and was named Man of the Match in an FA Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United. Kanté's outstanding performances earned him numerous accolades, including being named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second consecutive season and winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season awards. He became the first player since Eric Cantona in 1993 to win back-to-back top-flight titles in England with two different clubs.
In May 2018, Kanté played a crucial role in Chelsea's FA Cup victory, featuring for the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over Manchester United in the final. BBC Sport awarded him the Man of the Match award for his exceptional performance.

References

1.  "Décret du 31 décembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 31 December 2018 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2019 (1). 1 January 2019. PRER1835394D. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
3. ^ "N'Golo Kanté". Saudi Pro League. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
4. ^ Law, Matt (18 March 2021). "Forget notions of slowing down, N'Golo Kante remains one of the world's best midfielders". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
5. ^ "Why Kante deserves the Ballon d'Or in 2021". ESPN. 3 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
6. a b Smith, Rory (30 May 2021). "N'Golo Kanté, Chelsea and Beating the System". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
7. ^ Ogden, Mark (9 February 2017). "Chelsea's N'Golo Kante should be top contender for Footballer of the Year". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
8. a b Edwards, Peter (30 March 2017). "N'Golo Kante Uncovered: This is what drives the Chelsea star on". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
9. a b c d e Fletcher, Paul (29 March 2017). "N'Golo Kante: How can Premier League clubs create next star?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2017.