N'Golo Kanté facts for kids

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N'Golo Kanté

Kanté warming up for France in 2018

Personal information

Date of birth

29 March 1991 (age 34)

Place of birth

Paris, France

Height

1.68 m

Playing position

Defensive midfielder

Club information

Current club

Al-Ittihad

Number

Youth career

2001–2010

JS Suresnes

2010–2012

Boulogne

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2012–2013

Boulogne

(3)

2013–2015

Caen

(4)

2015–2016

Leicester City

(1)

2016–2023

Chelsea

190

(11)

2023–

Al-Ittihad

(4)

National team^‡

2016–

France

(2)

Honours


Men's football
Representing France
FIFA World Cup
Winner	2018
UEFA Nations League
Winner	2021
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up	2016

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:02, 22 January 2025 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:25, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

N'Golo Kanté, born on March 29, 1991, is a French professional football player. He plays as a defensive midfielder for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. He also plays for the French national team. Kanté is famous for his amazing energy and strong defense. Many people think he is one of the best defensive midfielders ever.

Kanté started his professional career with Boulogne in 2012. He then joined Caen in 2013. He helped Caen get promoted to Ligue 1, France's top league. In 2015, Kanté moved to Leicester City in England.

He was a key player when Leicester City surprisingly won the Premier League title in 2016. The next year, he joined Chelsea and won the league again. This made him the first player in a long time to win two English league titles in a row with different clubs. With Chelsea, he won many big trophies. These include the FA Cup, the UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Champions League. In 2023, he moved to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Kanté has won many individual awards. These include the Premier League Player of the Season and the PFA Players' Player of the Year. He also won the UEFA Men's Midfielder of the Year. For France, he played in the 2016 European Championship where France finished second. He was a very important part of the team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Kanté's Football Journey
Playing for Chelsea
International Career with France
How Kanté Plays Football
- His Style of Play
Kanté's Life Off the Pitch
Career Statistics
- Club
- International
Awards and Honours
See also

Kanté's Football Journey

Starting Out at Boulogne

N'Golo Kanté was born in Paris, France. His parents came from Mali. He started playing football at age eight for a club called JS Suresnes. He stayed there for ten years. Many big teams didn't notice him because he was small. Also, he played in a very unselfish way. He even tried to join the famous Clairefontaine academy but was not accepted.

In 2010, he joined the reserve team of Boulogne. He made his first professional appearance on May 18, 2012. This was in a Ligue 2 match. The next season, he played almost every game in the third division. On August 10, he scored his first goal as a senior player.

Moving to Caen

Kanté with Caen in 2013

In 2013, Kanté joined Caen, a team in Ligue 2. He played in all 38 games in his first season. Caen finished third, which meant they were promoted to Ligue 1. This is the top football league in France. He scored his first goal for Caen on August 9.

In the next season, Kanté played 37 games. He helped Caen stay in the top league. He was known for winning the ball back more than any other player in Europe that season.

Success with Leicester City

Kanté playing for Chelsea in 2017

A scout named Steve Walsh found Kanté for Premier League club Leicester City. On August 3, 2015, Kanté signed a four-year contract with Leicester. The fee was about £5.6 million. He played his first game for Leicester five days later.

He received a lot of praise for his great performances. He was a huge reason why Leicester City won the Premier League title in 2016. This was a big surprise to everyone. In April, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year. By the end of the season, Kanté had made the most tackles and interceptions in the league.

Playing for Chelsea

Winning the League and FA Cup

On July 16, 2016, Kanté signed a five-year deal with Chelsea. The transfer fee was £32 million. He was given the number 7 shirt. On August 15, 2016, Kanté played his first game for Chelsea. It was against West Ham United, and Chelsea won 2–1.

Three months later, he played against his old team, Leicester City. He was named Man of the Match in Chelsea's 3–0 win. On October 23, he scored his first goal for Chelsea. It was in a 4–0 home win against Manchester United.

In March 2017, Kanté scored the only goal in an FA Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United. He was named man of the match. In April, he was again named in the PFA Team of the Year. He also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, and the Premier League Player of the Season. Kanté became the first player since Eric Cantona to win two top-flight titles in England with different clubs in a row. In May 2018, he helped Chelsea win the FA Cup. He played the whole game as Chelsea beat Manchester United 1–0 in the final.

European and World Champion

Kanté signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea on November 23, 2018. This made him Chelsea's highest-paid player. He scored in Chelsea's 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup semi-final. He also scored in his 300th club game. This was a 2–2 draw against Burnley on April 22. Even though he wasn't fully fit, Kanté started the 2018–19 Europa League final. He played a great game as Chelsea won 4–1 against Arsenal.

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kanté chose to train from home. Chelsea supported his decision. He played very well in the first Premier League game of the 2020-21 season. This was a 3–1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion.

On February 23, 2021, he played his 200th game for Chelsea. Chelsea beat Atlético Madrid 1–0 in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Kanté was praised for his performances against Spanish teams like Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid. He helped Chelsea reach the Champions League final. He was named player of the match in the final. Chelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 to win the Champions League. Many people thought Kanté's performance made him a strong candidate for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award.

For his great play, Kanté was named the UEFA Men's Midfielder of the Year in August 2021. In February 2022, he helped Chelsea win their first ever FIFA Club World Cup. They beat Palmeiras 2–1. In August 2022, he got a hamstring injury. This kept him out of action until April 2023.

Moving to Al-Ittihad

On June 21, 2023, Kanté agreed to join Saudi Professional League club Al-Ittihad. He joined them on July 1, after his contract with Chelsea ended.

International Career with France

Kanté lining up for France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Kanté's parents are from Mali. The Mali national team asked him to play for them before the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. But Kanté said no because he wanted to focus on his club career in France.

On March 17, 2016, Kanté was chosen for the French senior squad for the first time. He made his debut eight days later against the Netherlands. On his 25th birthday, March 29, he started his first game and scored a goal against Russia.

On June 10, 2016, Kanté played his first competitive match for France. It was the opening game of UEFA Euro 2016 against Romania. He played the whole game and helped France win 2–1. He made the most passes, tackles, and interceptions in that match. France reached the final of Euro 2016, but they lost to Portugal.

On May 17, 2018, he was picked for the 23-man French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in all seven matches for France in the tournament. He was named Man of the Match in a 0–0 draw against Denmark. On July 15, Kanté started in France's 4–2 win over Croatia in the World Cup final. France won the World Cup!

In May 2021, Kanté was called up for the France squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He helped France win the 2021 Nations League. He missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of a serious hamstring injury.

On May 16, 2024, Kanté returned to the France squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He was named player of the match in France's first game against Austria. He also became the player with the most matches without defeat in the European competition. He broke the record of 12 games. After beating Portugal in the quarter-finals, he became the first player to reach 20 straight undefeated matches in major tournaments.

How Kanté Plays Football

His Style of Play

Kanté is a very energetic and disciplined player. He is known for his amazing ability to win the ball back in midfield. He has a great sense of where to be on the field. He is also good at reading the game. He can tackle, get the ball back, stop passes, and block shots.

Kanté is also good at starting attacks. After winning the ball, he can quickly pass it to start a counter-attack. He runs very fast up and down the pitch. He often makes late runs into the opponent's box. Kanté became a top player a bit later than some others. By age 21, he had only played one senior game in France's second league. He says his calm style comes from his slow rise through the football leagues.

Kanté looks up to players like Lassana Diarra and Claude Makélélé. People often compare him to Makélélé. But Kanté says he has his own unique style. His job is often to do the "dirty work." This means running, getting the ball, and winning back possession. Kanté once said that he gets satisfaction from winning the ball back and protecting his team. He made the most tackles in Europe's top leagues for two seasons in a row. In his first 150 Premier League games, he won 92 times. He never received a red card during his time in the Premier League.

Under Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, Kanté played a more attacking role. He had played this role before at Leicester. In 2021, coach Thomas Tuchel put Kanté back in a defensive midfield role. He usually played on the right side with another midfielder. Kanté was very good at stopping opponents' attacks. He also helped start quick counter-attacks from midfield.

Kanté's Life Off the Pitch

N'Golo Kanté is a Muslim. He grew up in a small apartment in Rueil-Malmaison, France. His father passed away when N'Golo was 11. His older sister, Niama, died before the 2018 World Cup.

He is named after King Ngolo Diarra. His younger sister also played football in the youth system at Suresnes. When he was growing up, his favorite players were Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Diego Maradona. When he was 21, he earned a diploma in accounting.

When he started his professional career, he rode a kick scooter to training. In 2018, he drove a Mini Hatch. This was his first car in England because it was easy to learn to drive. Kanté knows that people see him as shy. But he says that stories about him by his teammates are often made bigger than they are.

Kanté's nickname is "NG." Outside of football, he enjoys playing tennis. His favorite karaoke song is "Ramenez la coupe à la maison" by Vegedream. When he joined Chelsea, his teammates said he wasn't loud enough during his initiation. His favorite food is thieboudienne, which his mother cooks.

On June 28, 2023, it was announced that Kanté would become a club owner in Belgium. He is set to buy Royal Excelsior Virton, a third-division team. The club said they were excited for Kanté to take over.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Boulogne	2011–12	Ligue 2	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	2012–13	Championnat National	37	3	2	1	0	0	—		—		39	4
	Total		38	3	2	1	0	0	—		—		40	4
Caen	2013–14	Ligue 2	38	2	4	1	1	0	—		—		43	3
	2014–15	Ligue 1	37	2	1	1	1	0	—		—		39	3
	Total		75	4	5	2	2	0	—		—		82	6
Leicester City	2015–16	Premier League	37	1	1	0	2	0	—		—		40	1
Chelsea	2016–17	Premier League	35	1	5	1	1	0	—		—		41	2
	2017–18	Premier League	34	1	5	0	2	0	6	0	1	0	48	1
	2018–19	Premier League	36	4	2	0	5	1	10	0	0	0	53	5
	2019–20	Premier League	22	3	1	0	0	0	4	0	1	0	28	3
	2020–21	Premier League	30	0	4	0	1	0	13	0	—		48	0
	2021–22	Premier League	26	2	3	0	4	0	6	0	3	0	42	2
	2022–23	Premier League	7	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	—		9	0
	Total		190	11	20	1	13	1	41	0	5	0	269	13
Al-Ittihad	2023–24	Saudi Pro League	30	2	4	1	—		6	0	6	1	46	4
	2024–25	Saudi Pro League	14	2	2	0	—		—		—		16	2
	Total		44	4	6	1	—		6	0	6	1	62	6
Career total			384	23	34	5	17	1	47	0	11	1	493	30

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
France	2016	13	1
	2017	7	0
	2018	16	0
	2019	3	0
	2020	5	1
	2021	7	0
	2022	2	0
	2024	11	0
Total		64	2

France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kanté goal

List of international goals scored by N'Golo Kanté
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	29 March 2016	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	2	Russia	1–0	4–2	Friendly
2	14 November 2020	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	44	Portugal	1–0	1–0	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A