The feeling in the French football world is that if Bleus have a really good Euro, N’Golo will be at the top of the list to win the golden trophy.
When N’Golo Kanté came to the concentration of the selection of France in Nice on Tuesday with Olivier Giroud and Kurt Zouma, his teammates from Chelsea, was greeted to applause. On Saturday night, the selected ones, the French coach Didier Deschamps and his coaching staff watched the final of the Champions League, were once again amazed by the performance of the midfielder.
Even after all these years, 45 international matches since 2016, Kanté He still manages to surprise even his closest friends and teammates with his performances in the Chelsea week to week.
When I arrive Kanté, completing the 26-man team of ‘Les Bleus’ for the Eurocup, some members of the team received it as if it were the Golden Ball. He was joking and serious too, but some teammates told him that he was on the right track to get the golden ball. Others wondered if he had raced from London to the south of France before his friendly with Wales, while DeschampsAs always, he had a choice. But deep down, the coach and this team know how lucky they are to have a player like Edge in your template. What Olivier Giroud told ESPN: “N’Golo is just extraordinary. It’s not just running and the effort, or the balls recovered. It’s all he does. You really feel like you’re playing with 12 players when he’s there on the pitch. “.
The forward of the Chelsea think, like many people, that Kanté could and should win the Golden Ball At the end of the year. The feeling in the world of French football is that if the Bleus have a really good Euro, the former player of Caen Y Leicester will be at the top of the list.
Robert Lewandowski will also be a contender after winning the title of the Bundesliga with the Bayern Munich, setting a national record for the most goals in a season (41); Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are always on the list, leaving aside the disappointing campaigns of the Barcelona and the Juventus, as well as Kylian Mbappé o Karim Benzema if they also sign a good summer. But Kanté , who turned 30 at the end of March, has to be the favorite.
Since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel to Stamford Bridge at the end of January, Kanté He has taken his game to the next level. The German coach has always been a great admirer of the skills of Kanté and tried to recruit him in the PSG. Together ChelseaThey have worked a lot on the Frenchman’s position, his ball retention and his ball progression; Tuchel It also gave him the confidence and freedom to move and play like he did against him. Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City and other elite rivals.
As the technician of the Chelsea a RMC Sport after their 1-0 win at Anfield in March: “[Kanté] it’s a gift. With my staff, we can’t believe what it does. We get your data after your games and even after your workouts and we can’t believe your numbers. It really is a gift. “
Paul pogba has been a close friend of Kanté for years, but he’s also in awe. Speaking to French television two weeks ago, he noted: “Kanté has it all. He is technically good, with good passing quality, and is everywhere on the court. He runs for 11 players. He has ball possession, he can shoot. He is everywhere. Having a player like that at your side. aside, what more could you ask for? “
There is another thing that attracts when it comes to Kanté, and this is how it would represent victory for “regular” players with a Golden Ball instead of the typical superstars. It has helped redefine the way we view football; It’s not just about forwards and scorers, but about players fighting for the team and sacrificing themselves for a bigger mission. Kanté He also represents those who had to fight for everything: he made his professional debut at the age of 22 and in the third division of France. He would be a perfect winner after a pandemic, a refreshing winner, a humble and modest winner. It would also be a very popular winner.
Looking through the files, no defensive midfielder has ever won the Golden Ball. Just a defensive player Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, he has claimed the award in the modern era; closest to the position and profile of Kanté it would be maybe Lothar Matthaus, who won it in 1990, but the great German had a very different style as a playmaker.
Luka Modric, winner in 2018, is also more of a playmaker. But if you got it in the year of the world Cup -guiding Croatia to the final-, where they lost to Les Bleus, and won their fourth title of Champions League with the Real Madrid in 2018, there is no reason why Kanté don’t win it this year if France does well in the Euro.
As much as Kanté he would love to win the most prestigious individual award in world football, he would probably hate it too. He seems to shy away from anything that makes him the center of attention.
When France won the world Cup of 2018 and celebrated a few weeks later with the fans at the Stade de France, he was asking Benjamin mendy that he did not sing too much the song of Kanté. When he was named man of the match after the semi-final back by the Champions League against him Real Madrid (won the award in three of the six knockout matches of the Chelsea on the way to the title, and in the Final), he told a field reporter that he didn’t feel comfortable doing an interview because it was a team’s victory, not just his. And then he left Stamford Bridge in his Mini …
That is Kanté. He is so shy that you never hear him speak in the field, or very rarely. With a big smile, Riyad Mahrez he remembers one of the rare times he did it: “When we were together in Leicester, I knew I didn’t have to defend because Kanté was behind me and I would defend for two. And you know how shy he is. He’s like that and he didn’t use to say anything. But one day, during a game, I listened. her little voice saying ‘hey Riyad, would you mind defending a bit please?’ “
Off the field, however, it is quite different, as he explains Pogba: “He cheats a lot. A lot. In card games, board games. He cheats. He says he doesn’t cheat, but he does. He uses cunning. He’s a smart kid, N’Golo. But that’s okay. You have to love him. He is the most loved player in the history of football. You have to love him; you cannot hate him, it is not possible. He is humble, kind, professional. He will never complain, he will always work. “
Trying to win a card game at all costs shouldn’t stop you from winning the Golden Ball. At the moment 2021 belongs to Kanté, and if the second part of the year is like the first, it will be impossible not to give him the trophy.
– .
