N'GOLO KANTÉ: The Untold Inspiring Story
Who wouldn't know the popular Minister of the Midfield and defence in England for a while now. Everyone knows of his tactical defensive skills but only a few consider N’Golo Kante’s interesting biography.
I know many of you will be wondering why I am sharing his biography on my blog today. There are two basic reasons for this; firstly, because of his High-I-Eye spirit and perpetual driving force towards his dreams. And secondly, because of his EXTREME humility! Believe you me, in sports, this guy is my best definition of humility!
N’Golo Kante popularly called "agolo" or Mallam Kante in Nigeria was born on the 29th of March 1991 in Paris, France. He was born to a migrant family to France from Mali in 1980 to seek greener pastures in Europe, as we all know that majority of the French players who won the last Worldcup could be traced down to the African root, just like Mbappe. Many years after their migration, Kante’s father died when he (Kante) was just 11 years old.
Growing up in Rueil Malmaison, a small and densely populated sub-urban area close to Paris, Kante worked as a trash picker & grabber while his mother worked as a cleaner in order to help sustain the family.
As a refuse collector, Kante would walk for kilometres around the Suburbs of eastern Paris looking for all sort of valuable waste to collect and deliver to small recycling firms for quick cash.
Knowing fully well that the menial job would continually make his family circle in poverty, Kante sought alternatives that would pave way for financial freedom and assured future for himself and his family.
After the France '98 world cup, Kante saw a different France. An opportunity filled country whose football glory and future rest on the shoulders of migrants. Moreso, he got familiarized with the names and personality of great football stars who helped France clinch the 1998 FIFA world cup. Some of the featured star players then were the likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Viera, Thuram, Nicolas Anelka amongst others. Do you know what that victory meant to then French? The victory saw the codified right of migrants to participate in French football.
While the 1998 world cup was going on, Kante became financially stable by making more money from collecting trash dropped by football tourists. He covered every ground used for the tournament including squares of hotels that served as viewing centres to realize enough funds to help his career and assist his family.
After the World Cup, Kante who was then aged 8, aspired to take football as a career having noticed lots of youth clubs emancipating around his locality. It wasn’t long before his aspirations became a reality as he began his career at JS Suresnes in the western suburbs of Paris. Upon registration, Kante was immediately tagged by teammates as the smallest and most focused young star in the club. His shankolo body (small stature) kept many of his teammates wondering if he could last even for up to 45mins on field of play.
Ideally, it was Kante’s humility and hard work learned in his troubled youth that helped the miniature midfielder achieve greatness. His team started winning trophies as soon as he entered the club. Although Kante did much to help his team win trophies, he was known to shy away from celebration and wouldn’t let it get to his head. At least I saw that myself during the last Worldcup they won, he did not plan to carry the cup to strike a pose for a picture, it was Pogba who collected the trophy and handed it over to him, knowing his (Kante) low-key lifestyle.
More so, while his teammates grew in height, Kante didn’t show much progress in that regard but remained the most powerful (small but mighty) midfield force who would cover every blade of grass on the pitch.
Kante began growing after a spell of about 4 years at the club. His personality and career path became obvious after spending such years. At some point in time, Kante’s popularity saw him become the club’s favourite and most faithful player. He earned more money by joining a team of selected youth stars who took extra hours to train young kids. All thanks to his then assistant manager, Pierre Ville who helped him to earn more after the death of his father.
Kante’s hard work coupled with his endearing qualities earned him a move to Boulogne where he played between 2010–2012. His impressive performances were acknowledged by all including his Boulogne coach Durand.
Kante’s dream to play for an English Club was later realized as he was scouted for Premier League club Leicester City by Steve Walsh, who had previously facilitated the transfers of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez to the team. On the 3rd of August 2015, he joined Leicester on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee reported to be €8 million (£5.6 million).
One interesting fact about this guy, N’Golo Kante, he has never had a flashy car nor wore any expensive wares, a great life of modesty! At the start of his professional career at Chelsea, he commuted to training by kick scooter. As of 2017/2018 season, he drove a Mini Cooper.
On 17 March 2016, Kanté was selected for the France senior squad for the first time to face the Netherlands and Russia in friendlies. He made his debut against the former eight days later, replacing Lassana Diarra at halftime in a 3–2 win at the Amsterdam Arena.
N’Golo Kante was in 2016 nicknamed “The Rat” by his Chelsea Teammate Eden Hazard. The Belgian (Hazard) believes that Kante show of prowess on the field of play is with amazing speed to recover the ball from opponents.
One of his old pals Francois Lemoine added that;
“WE WERE UNDER-18S AND HE WAS UNDER-15S AND 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.”
His youth coach, Vojtyna, was not left out as he recalled that;
“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”
To show his low-key lifestyle, his hairdresser (popularly called barber in Nigeria, lol) from onset, Naji Nagy, is still the one cutting his hair, as he travels down London to cut Kante’s hair, reason being is that, he still want to keep his relationship with his hairdresser who they both had their humble beginning.
To this end, I'll say humility is key in life. He (Kante) earns about £120,00 weekly!.. Kindly convert that to your local currency... I'm sure you know that he can buy the latest car with just 2 months salary! And of course, keep your dreams alive! Never give up on your DREAMS!
Good evening Readers!!!
#Happy Delectable Sunday to Y'all!
I know many of you will be wondering why I am sharing his biography on my blog today. There are two basic reasons for this; firstly, because of his High-I-Eye spirit and perpetual driving force towards his dreams. And secondly, because of his EXTREME humility! Believe you me, in sports, this guy is my best definition of humility!
N’Golo Kante popularly called "agolo" or Mallam Kante in Nigeria was born on the 29th of March 1991 in Paris, France. He was born to a migrant family to France from Mali in 1980 to seek greener pastures in Europe, as we all know that majority of the French players who won the last Worldcup could be traced down to the African root, just like Mbappe. Many years after their migration, Kante’s father died when he (Kante) was just 11 years old.
Growing up in Rueil Malmaison, a small and densely populated sub-urban area close to Paris, Kante worked as a trash picker & grabber while his mother worked as a cleaner in order to help sustain the family.
As a refuse collector, Kante would walk for kilometres around the Suburbs of eastern Paris looking for all sort of valuable waste to collect and deliver to small recycling firms for quick cash.
Knowing fully well that the menial job would continually make his family circle in poverty, Kante sought alternatives that would pave way for financial freedom and assured future for himself and his family.
After the France '98 world cup, Kante saw a different France. An opportunity filled country whose football glory and future rest on the shoulders of migrants. Moreso, he got familiarized with the names and personality of great football stars who helped France clinch the 1998 FIFA world cup. Some of the featured star players then were the likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Viera, Thuram, Nicolas Anelka amongst others. Do you know what that victory meant to then French? The victory saw the codified right of migrants to participate in French football.
While the 1998 world cup was going on, Kante became financially stable by making more money from collecting trash dropped by football tourists. He covered every ground used for the tournament including squares of hotels that served as viewing centres to realize enough funds to help his career and assist his family.
After the World Cup, Kante who was then aged 8, aspired to take football as a career having noticed lots of youth clubs emancipating around his locality. It wasn’t long before his aspirations became a reality as he began his career at JS Suresnes in the western suburbs of Paris. Upon registration, Kante was immediately tagged by teammates as the smallest and most focused young star in the club. His shankolo body (small stature) kept many of his teammates wondering if he could last even for up to 45mins on field of play.
Ideally, it was Kante’s humility and hard work learned in his troubled youth that helped the miniature midfielder achieve greatness. His team started winning trophies as soon as he entered the club. Although Kante did much to help his team win trophies, he was known to shy away from celebration and wouldn’t let it get to his head. At least I saw that myself during the last Worldcup they won, he did not plan to carry the cup to strike a pose for a picture, it was Pogba who collected the trophy and handed it over to him, knowing his (Kante) low-key lifestyle.
More so, while his teammates grew in height, Kante didn’t show much progress in that regard but remained the most powerful (small but mighty) midfield force who would cover every blade of grass on the pitch.
Kante began growing after a spell of about 4 years at the club. His personality and career path became obvious after spending such years. At some point in time, Kante’s popularity saw him become the club’s favourite and most faithful player. He earned more money by joining a team of selected youth stars who took extra hours to train young kids. All thanks to his then assistant manager, Pierre Ville who helped him to earn more after the death of his father.
Kante’s hard work coupled with his endearing qualities earned him a move to Boulogne where he played between 2010–2012. His impressive performances were acknowledged by all including his Boulogne coach Durand.
Kante’s dream to play for an English Club was later realized as he was scouted for Premier League club Leicester City by Steve Walsh, who had previously facilitated the transfers of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez to the team. On the 3rd of August 2015, he joined Leicester on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee reported to be €8 million (£5.6 million).
One interesting fact about this guy, N’Golo Kante, he has never had a flashy car nor wore any expensive wares, a great life of modesty! At the start of his professional career at Chelsea, he commuted to training by kick scooter. As of 2017/2018 season, he drove a Mini Cooper.
On 17 March 2016, Kanté was selected for the France senior squad for the first time to face the Netherlands and Russia in friendlies. He made his debut against the former eight days later, replacing Lassana Diarra at halftime in a 3–2 win at the Amsterdam Arena.
N’Golo Kante was in 2016 nicknamed “The Rat” by his Chelsea Teammate Eden Hazard. The Belgian (Hazard) believes that Kante show of prowess on the field of play is with amazing speed to recover the ball from opponents.
One of his old pals Francois Lemoine added that;
“WE WERE UNDER-18S AND HE WAS UNDER-15S AND 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.”
His youth coach, Vojtyna, was not left out as he recalled that;
“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”
To show his low-key lifestyle, his hairdresser (popularly called barber in Nigeria, lol) from onset, Naji Nagy, is still the one cutting his hair, as he travels down London to cut Kante’s hair, reason being is that, he still want to keep his relationship with his hairdresser who they both had their humble beginning.
To this end, I'll say humility is key in life. He (Kante) earns about £120,00 weekly!.. Kindly convert that to your local currency... I'm sure you know that he can buy the latest car with just 2 months salary! And of course, keep your dreams alive! Never give up on your DREAMS!
Good evening Readers!!!
#Happy Delectable Sunday to Y'all!
Comments
God bless you sir.