A star welcome. The day after his signing for Fenerbahçe, N’Golo Kanté set foot on Istanbul soil late in the evening of Wednesday February 4. As tradition dictates in Türkiye, the new reinforcements are received with great fanfare by the supporters of the three main clubs (Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Besiktas). But this time, the reception given to the French midfielder was beyond belief.
Shortly before midnight, several thousand fans of the Istanbul club gathered near the airport to welcome the 2018 world champion. If, usually, the followers enter the enclosure to get as close as possible to the recruits, protective grilles were installed on Wednesday evening, with the curious massing outside the place.
“Are you ready?” I’m coming “
Surrounded by security agents, Kanté still broke through the crowd to greet the fans gathered behind the fence. Smoke bombs, chants… they pulled out all the stops to welcome their new star, club scarf around their neck. A not trivial situation for the 34-year-old Frenchman, whose reserved personality and solitary temperament risk clashing with the overwhelming passion of Turkish supporters in the months to come.
A little earlier in the day, the club had published a video on its social networks showing Kanté, then on the plane to Istanbul, warning the Fener followers: “Are you ready? I’m coming,” he asked. Obviously, the response was up to par.
Still in the race in the Championship, the Turkish Cup and the Europa League, Fenerbahçe will be on the field this Thursday evening against Erzurumspor (6:30 p.m.). A meeting in which the former Chelsea midfielder should not take part. However, he could make his Süper Lig debut on Monday February 9 against Gençlerbirliği.
