N’Golo Kanté

N’Golo Kanté arrived from Leicester in July 2016 for a reported £32 million, weeks after winning the most unlikely title of the era. Twelve months later he had a second one, with us. He was the first outfield player since Cantona to win consecutive English titles with two different clubs.

In 2016–17 he was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season. Over seven years he played 269 games and scored 13 goals, but his value was never measured in goals. It was measured in kilometres, tackles and opponents who simply could not find space.

At Chelsea he won everything available: the league, the FA Cup, the Europa League, the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

His greatest night was Porto, 29 May 2021. Chelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 in the Champions League final and Kanté was everywhere: winning the ball, running, driving the team forward. He was named man of the match.

People did not love him only for his football. They loved the modesty, the smile, the stories of how ordinary he stayed. He left on a free transfer for Al-Ittihad in 2023, and fans voted him into the 120th-anniversary XI.

Sources

• Chelsea FC — Team of 120 (one of the most popular players, in the fans’ XI)
• Wikipedia — List of Chelsea F.C. players (269 apps / 13 goals)
• Wikipedia — N’Golo Kanté (July 2016 transfer, 2017 awards, Porto final, honours)
• Wikimedia Commons — Ngolo Kante 2017.jpg (photo: @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London, CC BY-SA 2.0)