“Ah, he still plays football? » Many of them asked themselves this question when discovering the name of N’Golo Kanté in the list of those selected for Euro 2024. And to tell the truth, we cannot cast stones at them. Neither did Didier Deschamps. “I can understand that the supporters did not follow his journey,” he said shortly after his announcement. At 33, the 2018 world champion plays for Al-Ittihad, in Saudi Arabia, after a blank season at Chelsea. Far, far from the time when, with Paul Pogba, he formed an immovable tandem in the middle with the Blues (2016-2021).
In Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea a stone’s throw from Mecca, Kanté found a more peaceful atmosphere than the excitement of the Premier League. “At Chelsea, his body told him that he couldn’t anymore, so he intelligently recharged his batteries in Saudi Arabia,” explains Christophe Lollichon, former Blues goalkeeping coach. After a last season close to nothing in London (nine short matches), the former Caen player quickly regained his sensations, making himself indispensable to his team to the point of becoming captain during the season. In all competitions, he played 42 matches out of 50 possible, each time as a starter.
