In a moment that sums up N’Golo Kante‘s overall game, the tireless midfielder once pulled off a through-ball pass to himself during a Premier League clash against West Ham.
Back in March 2017, during a 2-1 win at the London Stadium, the French World Cup winner somehow managed to keep possession as they defended a two-goal advantage.
Kante controlled a high ball with what looked like a heavy touch but he followed the ball – running past Cheikhou Kouyaté and Sofiane Feghouli – before eventually keeping the ball in play.
As you can see in the above clip, Kante, who made the second-highest number of sprints that night, then offloads an inch-perfect pass to Eden Hazard near the touchline as the Blues retained possession.
The 5ft 6in midfielder has enjoyed another wonderful campaign under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel.
That being said, the humble Frenchman isn’t thinking about the Ballon d’Or despite his heroic performance against Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday night.
He played down the thought of winning the prestigious prize in a humble post-match interview following his colossal Champions League final outing.
He told RMC Sport: “It’s amazing. It’s the result of a lot of effort, after a lot of difficulties during the season.
“The Man of the Match award is secondary. The main thing is the work of the whole group.
“It is pride and joy. We fought to qualify for the final. Today, we have suffered, we have the reward.”
Asked about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, he replied: “No, for the moment we are savouring the Champions League, the Euros are soon, I will join the France team and I hope to win that as well.”
Do you think Kante deserves to win the Ballon d’Or?
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