The Life and Rise of N’Golo Kante. Lifebogger’s Untold Biography.
Yes, everyone knows of the midfielder’s great tackling and interception skills. However, not many have read Kante’s Biography which is very interesting. Without much ado, let’s begin.
For Biography starters, N’Golo Kante was born on the 29th day of March 1991 in Paris, France. He was born to relatively unknown parents. And from a poor family background.
Ngolo Kante’s parents migrated to France from Mali (West Africa) in 1980 to seek greener pastures in France.
Kante was born as the first child of four brothers and sisters. His dad died when he was very little. From a very young age, a sense of responsibility befell him.
The death of his dad left Ngolo Kante’s mother (pictured below) with the saddling burden of parenting.
Meet N’Golo Kante’s Mother.
Growing-Up Years:
Early on, Kante knew the value of working hard because he saw that as the only way he could achieve something in Life.
Knowing fully well that Garbage Picking would continually make his family poor, Kante sought alternatives to financial freedom and an assured future for himself and his family.
N’Golo Kante’s Biography – Road To Football Career:
While the 1998 world cup was ongoing for the glory of France, Kante prospered financially by making more money collecting Trash dropped by football fans across stadiums.
He picked lots of garbage across the ground used for the tournament’s venue – which is close to his home, including squares of Hotels that served as viewing centres.
N’Golo Kante did all this to make monies that he invested in something worthwhile.
A rare photo of fans watching the 1998 World cup in France. This was a time Kante made monies from picking and selling refuse from fans.
After the France 98 World Cup, Kante saw a different France. He saw an opportunity-filled country whose football glory and future rested on the shoulders of migrants.
This was a time he got familiarized with the names of African migrants who helped France clinch the 1998 FIFA world cup.
Consequently, the France World Cup victory in 1998 brought about a turning point in terms of Migrant participation in French Football.
N’Golo Kante’s Biography – Early Years in Career Football:
Shortly after the 1998 World Cup, Kante (aged 8) aspired to take football as a career. At that time, he noticed that many soccer academies had openned up close to his home.
I guess you can spot Ngolo Kante among youngsters. Just see how nearly everyone was looking at him.
Upon registration with the club, Kante was immediately tagged by teammates as the smallest and most focused young star in the club.
At first, his small stature plus looks kept many of his teammates wondering where he came from and if he could last for long on the pitch.
Early on in his career, Kante exhibited qualities that showcased his humble beginnings. According to Kante’s assistant manager Pierre Ville;
“Kanté remained outside the radar of big teams because of his small stature appearance. Back then, he would perform tackles all day, take the ball from one end of the pitch and would carry it to the other length of the field. That was his private training routine taught by no one.”
N’Golo Kante’s Biography – Road To Fame Story:
It was humility, and hard work learned in his troubled youth that helped the miniature midfielder achieve early greatness with his youth club.
One of Kante’s old pals Francois Lemoine added that;
“Kante was 3 years younger than us yet he was already playing with us. We were playing against a local team and he came on ten minutes from the end. He was smaller than everyone yet no one could get past him.
At the end of the match we went into the changing room, I looked at one of my team-mates and I said to him, ‘Look, he’s smaller than us and in ten minutes he has shown us how to do it’. It was a real lesson in humility.”
It was Kante’s impact that made his team start winning trophies. Did you know?… While his teammates celebrated, Kante would be left out because he was known to be shy.
He was someone who would rather watch celebrations from a distance.
So humble right from childhood. Kante helped them win the cup BUT kept away from it while his teammates celebrated. He was the smallest among giant kids.
Even as time passed, Kante remained stunted in growth but was regarded as a (small but mighty) midfield force who would cover every blade of grass in the field.
His small stature almost looked the size of the little visiting kid staring at him in the picture below.
Small but Mighty was his nickname in his early days. The kid on the far right looks IN SHOCK at the small kid who helps his team win trophies.
N’Golo Kante began growing after spending about four years at the club. This was a time his personality and career path became obvious.
At some point in time, Kante’s popularity saw him become the club’s favourite and most faithful servant. His youth coach Voktyna gave him a task, as he recalled;
“Back then, Kante was the one player who would listen and do absolutely everything asked of him. Literally, everything. I once joked with Kante before a holiday. I told N’Golo, I’m giving you two months to juggle the ball 50 times with your left foot, 50 with your right foot and 50 with your head’. Two months later, he did it! I was shocked. From this moment, I never told him what to do. I left him for nature to decide his case”
Kante’s maturity later earned him a job even as an academy player. He joined a team of selected youth stars who took extra hours to train younger kids.
Kante became employed by his club to assume leadership roles despite being an academy player.
N’Golo Kante’s Biography – Rise To Fame Story:
A few years after, Kante’s hard work, coupled with his endearing qualities, earned him a move to Boulogne, where he played between 2010 and 2012. All acknowledged his impressive performances, including his Boulogne coach Durand who once remarked thus;
“Kante was great, he played direct, box-to-box and the distance he covered was there for all to see.
It was at Boulogne that his impressive covering skills became quite difficult for scouts to ignore.
Kante’s hard work as a senior player earned him a move to England to play with Leicester. While at the club, he earned much praise for his consistently impressive displays.Ngolo Kante was considered to be a major factor in the club’s excellent form as they went on to win the 2015–16 Premier League.
Kante’s consistent tackles and interceptions attracted Chelsea FC, who acquired him in 2016. With the club, he went on to win another Premier League title.
Speaking about his World Cup victory, Kante once aligned it with his childhood dream. He once said, according to TalkSport report;
“I was 7 years old when France first won it for the country [in 1998] and I was so excited, I said to my friends: ‘one day I will win it.’”
Without a doubt, Kante has proven to the world that he is the next beautiful promise of his African-French generation. The rest, as they say, is history.
With Kante’s rise to fame, the question on everyone’s lip is…who is Ngolo Kante’s girlfriend, wife, or wag?.
There is no denying the fact that Kante has endearing qualities, including loyalty, hard work, and humility, that make many ladies believe he would make a better boyfriend or husband.
At the time of writing Ngolo Kante’s Biography, he is still single and seemingly focused on his career.
Kante’s girlfriend is not known at the time of writing his Bio.However, there existed rumours that Ngolo Kante is dating Jude Littler, who is Djibril Cissé’s ex-wife. It was later believed to be untrue.
During the French celebration at the 2018 World Cup, N’Golo Kante was too shy to hold the World Cup trophy after France beat Croatia.
“He was so shy to say ‘its my turn to hold the cup, so he just stood and looked at the trophy from a distance. Sometimes people came in front of him. At some point, everyone took it and gave it to him saying ‘Come on, Take the Cup, it’s yours’.”
Said Giroud. His teammates had to stand aside to allow the humble midfielder to hold the trophy.
Kante indeed has taught the world that Shyness indeed is not an obstacle to success in life.
Ngolo Kante’s personality makes him so loved. He is one among very few football stars who rival fans or Chelsea fans find difficult to hate.
Below is a video of Kante’s encounter with a Chelsea female fan. Credit to ChelseaTV.
N’Golo Kante’s Family Life:
The story of N’Golo Kante’s family denotes a rise from poverty to riches. Without a doubt, Ngolo Kante comes from the most humble of beginnings and family origin.
There is a depiction on social media which stresses that 71% of the earth is covered by water while the rest is covered by N’Golo Kante.
Fun Fact #2 – Antonio Conte’s hair:
Football fans have once praised N’golo Kante as being responsible for winning back Antonio Conte’s hair.
Fun Fact #3 – Serious Gaze:
Football Fans were once shocked to see Kante’s serious gazes at his former coach’s family. To some fans, it looks like he was about to risk it all by intercepting Antonio Conte’s wife and child.
Months after the 2018 World Cup tournament during the Social Media 10 years challenge context, a shocking image of Ngolo Kante selling sugarcane surfaced on the internet which compared his development between the years 2009 and 2019.
This image left fans mesmerized by his humble beginnings. The image was, however, later observed to be photoshopped.
N’Golo Kante’s barber, Naji Nagy, once refused to cut ties with him after Kante left Leicester for Chelsea. Revealing the relationship that existed between him and Kante, Naji once recalled:
“I have been cutting Kante’s hair since he came to Leicester. He has become more than a customer, he is a friend, more than that even. I am sad he has made the move to Chelsea but happy he sends me monies to travel 130 miles to come cut his hair.
The hairdresser who runs a salon in Leicester also revealed his plans for the future with regards to sustaining their relationship.
“I have considered to relocate my family to London and become a registered Chelsea fan all thanks to my client.”
said a happy Naji Nagy.
Fun Fact #5 – Preference for Lassana Diarra over Makelele:
French regional newspaper La Voix du Nord likened Kanté to Claude Makélélé in his early days at Nantes.
This is due to their similar playing style. After asking the player if he considered Makélélé his role model, Kanté’s response was negative.
N’Golo Kante picked Lassana Diarra instead of Makélélé as a role model. Upon hearing this, Makélélé responded that:
“Kanté should focus on striving more to become an exceptional player on leadership basis and not only on his energy and excellent ball-winning abilities.”
N’Golo Kante was in 2016 nicknamed “The Rat” by his Chelsea Teammate Eden Hazard for reasons not far from the former’s tactical defensive abilities and his ability to recover the ball from opponents.
Thanks for reading this insightful write-up on N’Golo Kante’s biography. At Lifebogger, we have our sights set on facts and fairness in delivering French Football Stories. Kindly stay tuned for more. The Life History of Youssouf Fofana will excite you.
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Hi there! I am Hale Hendrix, a passionate football enthusiast and writer dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of footballers' childhood and biography. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives.
Well done N’ Galo Kante you deserve the best in your life and what I like about you my brother, you didn’t forget about where you come from and your Family too .
Excelente biografía! Su mirada refleja la humildad. Realmente es una persona muy especial, que por su actuar anima a otros a mejorar su comportamiento y practicar las buenas obras y la solidaridad. Bendiciones para él y su familia!
Infact ngolo kante is the best mieldfielder. His style of play is very exceptional. Every body like him because of his Noble character. May Allah bless him with endless blessings. AMEEN.
It was a Moral story And a nice biograph
Absolutely wonderful gifted player, So humble Love Him
Kante success is emotional and I thank God for his life. He’s really a wonderful human being
Well done N’ Galo Kante you deserve the best in your life and what I like about you my brother, you didn’t forget about where you come from and your Family too .
Excelente biografía! Su mirada refleja la humildad. Realmente es una persona muy especial, que por su actuar anima a otros a mejorar su comportamiento y practicar las buenas obras y la solidaridad. Bendiciones para él y su familia!
Excelente artigo bibliográfico.
Makes me want to cry .
Infact ngolo kante is the best mieldfielder. His style of play is very exceptional. Every body like him because of his Noble character. May Allah bless him with endless blessings. AMEEN.