In front of the camera lens forest, the French players competed to hold the world championship trophy and pose. Everyone wants to record 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 for the trophy. That moment is perhaps the best reflection of who N’Golo Kante is.
Quiet, humble and always kind. That’s Kante ‘s personality . On the pitch, he was a monster, an excellent interceptor. He is a terror to opponents, even if it is Kevin De Bruyne or Lionel Messi. French legend Marcel Desailly had to say: “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 a gold trophy for the world champion.
Kante is strong on the pitch
But off the field, Kante is a man of few words and shyness. Eric Vandenabeele, a former teammate of Kante’s at the Boulogne club, told FourFourTwo magazine: “Once I watched TV with him. While I was shouting and rambling about everything, Kante just sat there. The way he was My response was just to laugh and laugh.”
Before the teasing of his teammates, Kante could only laugh.
Kante plays like a superstar, but he doesn’t want to be a star himself. All the coaches and players, who have worked with Kante, speak of the small 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 four brothers and four sisters. Difficulties piled up on the family when Kante’s father died when he was only 11 years old. From a young age, Kante had to help her mother pick up bottles to support the family. The only way they can survive is to work and work hard.
Kante used to pick up bottles and sell ice water
That was ingrained in Kante’s character even though he was already a famous player. Kante does not have the habit of partying like other Premier League stars. Kante did not see the joy that the music blaring and the bright lights of the nightclub brought. Instead, he spends his free time pursuing his academic goals. During his time at Boulogne, Kante took advantage of his free time to study and graduate with a degree in accounting.
Kante still goes to the training ground in a cheap used car
Kante also leads an unbelievably simple life. When playing for Leicester, Kante went to the training ground by motorbike. Only later did Kante buy an old Renault to speed up travel. Coming to Chelsea, receiving a salary of 110,000 pounds a week, but Kante went to the training ground in an old Mini Cooper costing 20,000 pounds. In the parking lot, that Mini Cooper was nestled among the ferocious Ferraris.
Kante shyly stood last at the honoring ceremony for the French team at the Champs-Elysees
Tomasz Bzymek, Kante’s former coach at FC Suresnes, revealed to Sport.pl: “After training, Kante just comes home and rests. No nightclubs, no bars.” Even at the age of 27, Kante still has no lover.
Kante’s shyness and humility make him loved by all his teammates. On the day France won the World Cup, his teammates gathered around Kante, encouraging him to step out to take pictures with the gold trophy. On the bus back to the hotel, all sang “Kante, Kante” to thank him for his contributions.
At the public celebration held at the Champs-Elysees, Paul Pogba picked up the microphone and started the whole team to sing the words praising the contribution of that shy midfielder. As usual, Kante replied with a smile.
