French media getfootballnewsfrance (GFFN) voted the best player in France in 2021, and the feature today announced the third place in the selection: Kante.
In 2021, Ngoró Kante continued his dazzling moments in football: he pocketed the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. This year he also won the Premier League's Player of the Season and finished fifth in this year's Ballon d'Or awards.
In the months of early 2021, N'Golo Kante struggled with repeated hamstring injuries – in the 14 league games he played in at the end of the 2020-21 season, Chelsea won 10 and lost just one; Chelsea lost to West Brom, Leicester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa in his absence, conceding 10 points. In Tuchel's 3-4-3 formation, Kante played alongside Zoginho or Kovacic, a familiar role he was familiar with – the midfield duo at Leicester City with Draykwater also won the league title in 2015-16, and he joined Conte 3-4-3 the following year.
Since joining Chelsea in 2016, Kante have averaged an astonishing tackle, interception or snatch every 5.8 minutes.
Kante has maintained his best form in the Champions League, playing all three games in the semi-final and final to help Chelsea lift the Big Ears Cup for the second time in their history, he is one of the key gentlemen of this huge achievement, in these three games he was named UEFA's best player, and previously in the second leg of the 1/8 final against Atletico Madrid he was also the best player in UEFA.
In the two semi-finals against Real Madrid, Kante averaged 86.5% pass success and a staggering 100% success rate for a header, which was impressive considering his height, and he also delivered 3 key passes and 6 interceptions. In the 2-0 Real Madrid match, it was his broken ball that allowed Pulisic to assist Mount to seal the victory.
In the Champions League final, Kante did not have a single foul in 90 minutes, 100% completed tackles and catches, and won 11 one-on-one. Tuchel said of Kante: "If you have Kante, you have the players that everyone craves, you have everything you need in midfield. ”
Kante also played a central role for France at this summer's European Championships. In the last 16 games, Kante has played every minute for his country, with an average pass success rate of 91%. Completed 14 interceptions during the European Championship, second only to Chelsea team-mate Jorginho (25). His collaboration with Pogba has had excellent results.
Kante has missed four of his first 11 games this season due to COVID-19 positivity and groin problems, but he remains an indispensable figure for Chelsea. In the 3-0 win over Tottenham on September, Kante won three one-on-one runs in halftime, 100% completed passing and passing, and also scored the first goal of the season. So far this season, Kante has made 8 appearances for Chelsea in the Premier League for a total of 497 minutes, averaging 2.37 steals and interceptions per game, with a passing success rate of 85%, scoring 2 goals, and making 2 appearances in the Champions League, N'Golo Kante, averaging 2 steals and interceptions per game, with a passing success rate of 90%.
The statistics don't tell the whole story, but they certainly say a lot: In the past year, Kante has ranked in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe's five major leagues, averaging 2.32 blocks per game, 2.43 tackles and interceptions per game, and even 2.06 passes per game.
Kante has had an extraordinary 2021 and, given his personal and team performances and accomplishments, it's only natural that he can compete for the Ballon d'Or.