N'Golo Kanté
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Kanté warming up for France in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | N'Golo Kanté[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1991[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Al-Ittihad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2010 | JS Suresnes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Boulogne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Boulogne | 38 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Caen | 75 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Leicester City | 37 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2023 | Chelsea | 190 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Al-Ittihad | 63 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | France | 64 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:11, 12 September 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:25, 14 November 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
N'Golo Kanté (born 29 March 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad and the France national team. Known for his endless running and ability to win the ball back, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation.
Kanté made his senior professional debut with Boulogne in 2012, appearing as a substitute in one Ligue 2 match, and played an entire season in the third division the following year. After that he joined Ligue 2 side Caen on a free transfer, finished third and won promotion to Ligue 1. He stayed with the club for one more year, where he helped lead the team to a mid-table finish. In 2015, Kanté joined Leicester City for a fee worth £5.6 million.
Kanté was an integral part of the Leicester City team that were surprise Premier League champions in 2016. The following year, he joined Chelsea for a fee worth £32 million and again won the league, making him the first outfield player to win consecutive English league titles with different clubs since Eric Cantona in 1992 and 1993.[4] With Chelsea he won the FA Cup, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. After seven seasons with Chelsea, he left on a free transfer to Saudi club Al-Ittihad during the summer of 2023.
Individually, Kanté has been awarded the Premier League Player of the Season, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, the UEFA Men's Midfielder of the year, and the Trophées UNFP for Best French Player Abroad twice.
Kanté made his senior international debut for France in 2016 and was included in the squad that finished runners-up at the 2016 European Championship. In 2017, Kanté was named the French Player of the Year, a first for a player from the Premier League in seven years, and twelve months later was a key member of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning squad.
- ^ "Décret du 31 décembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 31 December 2018 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2019 (1). 1 January 2019. PRER1835394D. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
- ^ "N'Golo Kanté". Saudi Pro League. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Ogden, Mark (9 February 2017). "Chelsea's N'Golo Kanté should be top contender for Footballer of the Year". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.