Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola lauds former Blues midfield ace N’Golo Kante
Gianfranco Zola has heaped praise on former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, who left the club this summer and joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.
Kante’s time at Chelsea has been glittering; he has won all the trophies throughout his stint and left the club with his name etched in Chelsea’s history. The midfielder became part of Chelsea when he joined the club from Leicester City in 2016 after spearheading the Foxes to the historic Premier League title.
The French midfielder translated his form at Chelsea and remained a consistent player, but last season the 32-year-old endured an injury-prone campaign, which reduced his value at the club. Despite his shy behaviour, the former Foxes’ masterclass performance always went under the radar, but Zola’s comments on Kante’s time at Chelsea are absolutely spot on, as he said on The Obi One Podcast:
“I can speak all day about him [Kante]. He was a joke. He was a joke because it was impossible to see anybody running so much at high intensity. With the high-intensity runs he used to make, he was double everyone in the Premier League. You cannot run at high speed for such a long time. This guy was the double of everyone. He was unbelievable. Sometimes, we used to laugh on the bench because we couldn’t believe he was defending and getting the ball, and all of a sudden he was attacking on the other end.”
Zola makes perfectly valid points. Kante was unique because he could do it all on the field—attack, defend, and regain possession. It is a blessing that Chelsea has a player like Kante, who has proven to be one of the best midfielders in the league.
He was unique among midfielders because of his unrivalled persistence, and his performance demonstrated just how good he is. His performance at the club established his dominance. From the Premier League to the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the Europa League, and the Champions League, he won it all.
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His 2020–21 Champions League campaign Man of the Match performance will go down in history as his career high point. He played a key role in the Blues’ trophy-winning quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches.
