Fans say ‘current Kante is prime Kante’ as France star, 33, picks up Man of the Match award after two years away
FANS reckon N’Golo Kante is back to his best after a Man of the Match display for France last night.
The midfielder lined up for his country for the first time in almost two years as they kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over Austria.
Kante, 33, covered every blade of grass as he protected the back four while delivering attacking support at crucial times.
One brilliant instance saw the former Chelsea man close down Patrick Wimmer from afar as the Austrian zoomed towards goal unguarded.
And Kante, who now plays for Al-Ittihad after a free transfer last summer, was duly rewarded with the Man of the Match award at full time.
Should he continue to put in similar performances throughout the tournament, many will find it hard to look past France as favourites.
And fans certainly believe Kante is back at the top level, with his final season at Chelsea resulting in just nine appearances after being blighted by injury.
One said: “Forget prime Kante, current Kante is clear.”
Another declared: “We hadn’t heard from him for years and suddenly he reappears, returning to his prime.
“Don Kante, cult player.”
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One noted: “This Kante performance has been elite.”
Another added: “Kante back bossing it on the big stage.”
Speaking after receiving his reward, Kante admitted he was just happy to be back playing for his country.
After picking up his 56th cap, the 2018 World Cup winner said: “Thanks everyone, I’m delighted to be back, it’s nice. I like to be with the national team.
“I loved it when the fans started chanting my name. Thank you.”
Kante played 46 times for Al-Ittihad during his first season in Saudi Arabia as they finished fifth — 42 points off champions Al-Hilal.
Before that, the ace scored 13 goals in 269 games at Chelsea during a stunning seven-season spell.
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Kante won the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and Club World Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.
And his exit last summer still stings for some Chelsea fans, with £220million replacements Enzo Fernnadez and Moises Caicedo yet to replicate an iota of Kante’s past form.
But it was the midfielder’s time at Leicester in the 2015/16 season that made him a household name.
Kante burst onto the scene after a move from French side Caen, clocking up 40 games under Claudio Ranieri as the Foxes made history by winning the Premier League title.
His subsequent £30million move to Chelsea remains one of the biggest bargains in transfer history.
And if Kante’s form continues to grow, Al-Ittihad’s free transfer could be ranking up there shortly too.
France Euro 2024 guide
FRANCE are the one nation all England fans are truly afraid of.
They are many punters’ favourites after knocking the Three Lions out of the 2022 World Cup and will be hoping to do much better than at Euro 2020, when they lost to Switzerland in the last 16.
MANAGER: Didier Deschamps
Coming up to 12 years in the job, the only thing missing from his CV is a European Championship.
STAR MAN: Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe’s PSG may have underachieved on the European stage but he remains France’s most deadly threat, with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup final hat-trick to his name.
How France attack
Expect to see France play in a fluid 4-3-3 – which becomes 4-2-3-1 in possession – throughout the tournament.
Giroud acts as the focal point in the attack with the two wide players and Griezmann as No 10 supporting.
How France defend
We can expect to see France defend high with an emphasis on winning back possession as far up the pitch as possible.
France will stagger their defensive shape when the opposition are in possession.
Read the full France Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags.