Highlights

• Former Leicester and Chelsea N'Golo Kante will go down as one of the best midfielders to ever play in the Premier League
• The Frenchman was a key figure for both clubs but is notoriously known for being humble off the pitch.
• A former teammate once revealed that Kante apologised to him for the gift he brought to his first ever birthday party.

When he first arrived in the Premier League, very few would have heard of N'Golo Kante. We all know now. In his very first season in English football, he won the league with Leicester before moving to Chelsea.

The energetic midfielder played like a modern-day Claude Makelele, with some differences in their games. His defensive prowess is well documented, but sometimes the work Kante did going forward is overlooked. His driving runs and overall energy provided a lot in an attacking sense for his side. He was quick to establish himself as a fan favourite during his time in west London.

Former club teammate Kai Havertz once praised the humility of the Frenchman, revealing Kante is so down-to-earth that he hadn't changed his phone in 10 years. Speaking to The Guardian, he said: "There’s an image of footballers, all fancy and diamonds and this and that. I have met players who spend so much on things where you think: ‘Why do you do this?’ There are players who don’t care but others do. It’s not always about saying: ‘I did this.’ That’s sometimes a bit fake.

“Toni Kroos is one: calm, down to earth, doesn’t care about flashy stuff. He knows life is not only football. N’Golo Kante is another. He’s had the same phone for 10 years, doesn’t care about cars, doesn’t care about clothes.”

From stories of rocking up to training in his Mini Cooper days after crashing it to watching Match of the Day with fans in their house, Kante has long since established a cult hero status within the sport. The Frenchman is widely regarded as the humblest player in the game and a previous story of his time in his home country will put a smile on your face.

Wholesome Story of Kante at First Birthday Party

Apologised to teammate for the gift he brought

One of the more iconic stories about Kante involves his time at Caen. He played for the club between 2013 and 2015 before his move to Leicester City. Former teammate Felipe Saad told a story in 2021 that summed up his humility.

The ex-Caen defender revealed how Kante turned up to his party with a box of chocolates as a gift. The midfielder was embarrassed with his choice of present and apologised profusely to Saad.

Kante adorably explained that he didn't know what to buy as he had never been to a birthday party before. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Uol Sport, Saad said:

“I called [N’Golo] Kante for my birthday, it was a small party. Suddenly, he arrived at the restaurant with a box of chocolates, all ashamed. He apologised for the gift and said he didn’t know what to get because he had never been invited to a birthday party before.

“N’Golo is one of the best hearts I know, he’s a profile that doesn’t exist anymore in football. That’s why there’s unanimity among the players...inside the dressing room, he’s just the same as what you guys see on the television.”

Kante's Glittering Career at the Top

The Frenchman has won it all

His humble nature shouldn't distract you from the fact that he will go down as one of the best midfielders to ever play in England. After playing a starring role in Leicester's historic Premier League title win, he joined Chelsea at the start of the 2016-17 season.

In his first year at the club, Kante was instrumental as the west London outfit won the league title, finishing seven points ahead of Tottenham. During his seven-year stint at Stamford Bridge, he also won the FA Cup, the Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

Most importantly, the midfielder also played a pivotal role in helping the Blues win their second ever Champions League title in 2021, defeating rivals Manchester City in Porto. On the international front, he was ever-present in the French side that went on to win the World Cup in 2018, defeating Croatia in the final.

Towards the back end of his time at Chelsea, he found himself in a difficult situation, with injuries and fitness issues keeping him out for 38 games last season. The Blues decided that the dynamic midfielder was past his prime and opted against offering him a new contract before signing for Saudi side Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023.

Keen to bring in one of the best defensive midfielders ever, the club offered him a hefty sum which saw Kante increase his weekly wage by over £100k, which saw him become one of the highest-paid players in the league.