While his persona is at the other end of the scale to hell-raising, there is a touch of Dennis Rodman about N’Golo Kante, whose skillset is incomparable in his own sport.
Rodman would study the trajectory, bounce and spin of the basketball to become one of the NBA’s best rebounders. Kante’s ability to read where a football will travel is at such a level that his performance at Estádio do Dragão has sparked the debate of whether he is the greatest ever in his position.
While playing for the Chicago Bulls, Rodman took impromptu trips to Las Vegas to let off steam. Kante’s celebrations after winning the Champions League are likely to be more understated. This is a player who ditched the footballers’ handbook and overlooked a supercar for a Mini.
Kante’s has been a Rolls-Royce player for Chelsea and there is no player who can recover the ball like him but also get forward. In the 54th match of his season, he was in Manchester City’s penalty area in the final minute of the final. Seconds later he was intercepting play at the other end. It is like having two players on the pitch.
He will receive the biggest portion of Chelsea’s £10m bonus pot for being crowned European champions, as it is split depending on appearances in the competition and he has the most. His work, however, is priceless to how his team functions.
“They say 70 per cent of the world is covered by water, the rest by N’Golo Kante,” has now been made into a T-shirt and his performance against City explains why. That innate ability to sense where to position himself led to 10 recoveries to win back possession.
His tackle to deny Kevin De Bruyne in full flow was timed to perfection, as was stealing the ball off Riyad Mahrez’s toes as the City winger moved into a position to shoot.
Kante’s importance was shown by the winning goal. Pep Guardiola had decided to keep Rodri and Fernandinho on the bench and either of them would have been in a position to block the pass to Kai Havertz. Incidentally, Kante was sprinting behind Havertz in support as the winner went in.
There is more to Kante’s game than destruction. He is more than a “Makelele”, as Joe Cole pointed out on BT Sport, describing his performance as “men against boys”. While Claude Makelele could sit and read the game, Kante supports his forwards with lung-bursting energy. Rio Ferdinand, sat next to Cole, described him as the most valuable player in the Premier League.
Kante also drove Chelsea forward against City and his pass completion, at 86 per cent, was among the best among Thomas Tuchel’s players. Tuchel refused to get drawn on individual players after the final whistle but it was clear who the man-of-match was.
At 30, Kante appears to be at the peak of his game. He had spells out of the team last season through injury, a hamstring problem being the main source of his frustrations. But when he returned after Tuchel’s appointment, Chelsea never lost a Premier League match when he was in the starting line-up.
He has two years left on a contract and would walk into any other team at the moment. He moved from Leicester City after winning the title but does not seem the type to agitate for a transfer.
His team-mates certainly appreciated him, with Kurt Zouma hoisting him in the air at the final whistle. During the celebrations he can almost appear to be a reluctant hero, happy to step out of the limelight after shining on the pitch.
As he walked past the European Cup he put both palms lightly on Big Ears. He had just had a huge part in making sure Cesar Azpilicueta could grab it with both hands and lift it to the sky.