It has taken France boss Didier Deschamps time to appreciate the importance of N’Golo Kante to his side but unleashed in Russia the Chelsea FC midfielder has been the World Cup’s outstanding performer.
Although it is a cliché to say that defensive midfielders of such genre go under-appreciated, it will once again ring true if Les Bleus go all the way and the 27-year-old is overlooked for the Golden Ball.
Indeed, with publications as respected as Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo still referring to Kante as “one of France’s secrets”, it shows just how truly overlooked he remains.
He certainly won’t be a mystery to Belgium, as star man Eden Hazard plays on a weekly basis with the Frenchman at Stamford Bridge and is under no illusions as to just how strong he is.
“He’s the best player in the world in his position,” he told beIN Sports, before offering his club-mate a compliment of equal worth.
“When N’Golo’s at his best, you’ve got a 95% chance of winning the match.”
Players like Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappe and Hazard, who are the leading contenders to win that accolade as the tournament enters its final week, are naturally more thrilling, yet the manner in which Kante devours the ground to protect his defence is in itself awe inspiring.
“With Kante, we play with 12 players on the park,” club-mate Olivier Giroud commented.
Paul Pogba was just as effusive in his praise of the diminutive midfielder, whose small stature is more than made up for by his incredible industry: “He runs everywhere, he’s got 15 lungs! Football is easier with football like that.”
But Kante is not just the lungs of this France squad; he is also the heart that they lacked at Euro 2016.
In the final of that tournament, they suffered a 1-0 loss to a stuffy Portugal side. Kante mustered a mere 244 minutes during that tournament and did not feature in the showpiece at all. Since, he has become integral.
Should France overcome Belgium in St Petersburg, he will be one of the first names on Deschamps’ teamsheet for the final.
A shy character away from the field, there can be few more professional in their approach than Kante, whose whole life is based solely around training and matches. Unlike team-mates Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Benjamin Mendy, who command formidable social media followings, he remains incredibly private and rarely gives interviews.
It is, therefore, left up to his football to do his talking. In Russia, it has spoken volumes.
Already Argentina and Uruguay have been impressively muzzled in the knockout rounds, while Peru were shut out with Kante on the field during the group stages. It was no coincidence that the match in which he struggled – the opening game against Australia, during which he complained of breathing difficulties – his team similarly sagged.
His defensive statistics tell a story of how successful he has been. Since the beginning of the tournament, only Russia’s Roman Zobnin, who has spent an hour longer on the field, has won more possession.
“You get the impression that he’s not playing, he’s so good,” French FA president Noel Le Graet commented to AFP.
“He anticipates all the time. He feels the play. When the ball goes somewhere, he’s there already.”
But while it is the defensive aptitude of the player that gains the spotlight when he is highlighted, there can be little doubt that he has become more effective going forward, too.
Since moving to Chelsea, he has become more positive in his passing. Of course, it retains the beautiful simplicity that made him such a reliable performer, but he seeks now to move vertically more quickly.
And that is evident in his position when his team is in possession, although he is never likely to develop into an especially meaningful attacking threat, having bagged only three goals and six assists in over 100 Premier League appearances.
Despite his formidable level, though, it would be little short of a miracle if he were to win the Golden Ball.
In the competition’s 88-year history, comprising of 20 previous editions, an attacking player has won the award on each occasion, with the exception of Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn in 2002.
While it may be an injustice if Kante doesn’t walk away with the prize, it is not one he is liable to be perturbed by. He is, after all, the ultimate team player.
