N’Golo Kante Childhood Story (What you didn’t know)
N’Golo Kante Childhood
N’Golo Kante was born under the Aries zodiac on March 29, 1991 in Paris, France. He was born to relatively unknown parents. And from a poor family background.
N’Golo Kante’s parents moved from Mali to France in 1980, in search of better opportunities and a better future.
Kante was born as the first child of four brothers and sisters. His father died when he was very little. From a young age, a sense of responsibility took hold of him.
Kante knew the value of working hard because he saw it as the only way to achieve anything in life.
Growing up in Rueil Malmaison, a small, densely populated suburban area near Paris, Kante worked as a garbage collector.
His mother worked as a cleaner to help support the family.
As a garbage collector, Kante walked miles through the eastern suburbs of Paris, looking for all kinds of valuable trash.
He collected them and delivered them to small recycling companies, all in the name of “quick money.”
Knowing full well that garbage collection would continually make his family poor, Kante sought alternatives to financial freedom and a secure future for himself and his family.
N’Golo Kante ‘s first contact with football
N’Golo Kante ‘s first contact with football |
Kanté began his career at the age of eight at JS Suresnes, in the western suburbs of the capital, where he remained for a decade.
Upon registering with the club, Kante was immediately identified by his teammates as the club’s smallest and most focused young star.
Early in his career, Kante displayed qualities that highlighted his humble origins. According to Kante’s assistant coach, Pierre Ville
Kante remained stunted in growth, but was considered a midfield force (small but powerful) who would cover every blade of grass on the pitch.
N’Golo Kante started to grow after spending around four years at the club. It was at this time that his personality and professional trajectory became obvious.
At some point, Kante’s popularity made him the club’s favorite and most loyal servant. His youth coach, Voktyna, gave him a task, as he recalls;
Kante’s maturity later earned him a job, even as an academy player. He joined a team of select young stars who put in extra hours to coach younger kids.
Kante was signed by his club to take on leadership roles despite being an academy player.
Professional career
According to assistant coach Pierre Ville, Kanté remained off the radar of big teams because of his small stature and unselfish playing style. He was rejected by Clairefontaine ‘s academy during this period. During his final season at Suresnes, in the Promotion d’Honneur (PH, 9th French senior level), he scored 10 goals. In 2010, after the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, rejected the offer to sign Kanté
He joined Boulogne ‘s reserve team , and made his professional debut in the last game of the Ligue 2 season on 18 May 2012, a 1–2 home defeat to his already relegated side to Monaco . He replaced Virgile Reset for the final 11 minutes.
During the 2012–13 season , he played in third division Championnat National , missing just one league game. On 10 August, he scored his first goal for the senior team, the only one in the victory over Luzenac at the Stade de la Libération , and added two more throughout the campaign.
Caen
In 2013, he was transferred to Caen , on a 3-year contract, to compete in Ligue 2 . He quickly became a key member of the French team, to the point of being named in the Ligue 2 Team of the Season at the UNFP trophy ceremony at the end of the season.
In his first game in Ligue 1, he also scored his first goal for Caen, against Évian . His outstanding performances made him one of the championship’s “revelations”. Franck Silvestre , for example, recommended his call-up to the French national team , saying that N’Golo could become better than Claude Makélélé . [ 6 ] In October 2014, he extended his contract until 2018. The media considered that, due to his recurring performance for the club, N’Golo could be transferred to a bigger club at the end of the 2014–15 season.
Leicester
With news of approaches from clubs such as Olympique de Marseille , Lyon and West Ham United , Kanté ended up moving to Leicester City on a four-year contract, and a reported transfer worth 8 million euros. On 7 November 2015, he scored his first Premier League goal , in the match against Watford .
He won praise and plaudits for his consistent and impressive performances for the Foxes, being considered one of the key factors in the team’s success in 2015/16, with a high number of steals and interceptions. He arrived in April having racked up 149 interceptions and was one of four players on the team for the PFA Team of the Year.
Chelsea
On 16 July 2016, he was announced as a Chelsea signing for £ 32 million. After signing the five-year contract, Kanté said: ”I’m happy to sign with one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It’s a dream that is coming true”. Kanté scored his first goal with the Chelsea shirt on October 23, 2016, in a derby against Manchester United. On December 26, he was placed sixth in the election for the best player in the world in the 2015-16 season.
Scored the winning goal against Manchester United, in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on March 13, 2017. He was chosen on April 20 to be part of the championship team and also as the 2016-17 Premier League player of the season.
He became a fixture in Chelsea’s midfield in his first season, being fundamental in making tackles. In the 2018-19 season, following a recommendation from Italian Maurizio Sarri , Kanté started to play more advanced, sometimes appearing as a surprise element inside the box. Playing in this way, he scored Chelsea’s first goal of the season in a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the first round of the Premier League.
He was also decisive in the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final , scoring the goal that opened the 2-1 victory over Tottenham . In 2018-19, Kanté had his highest scoring season in his career so far, scoring 5 goals in total. Kante continued to play further forward under coach Frank Lampard in the 2019-20 season, scoring 3 goals. In 2021, he won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup , he was also named the best midfielder in European football , ranking among the five best players in the world by FIFA and the Ballon d’Or .
Al-Ittihad
On 21 June 2023, Kante agreed to sign for Saudi Professional League club Al-Ittihad on 1 July after his contract with Chelsea expired.
N’Golo Kante’s family
The story of N’Golo Kante’s family denotes a passage from poverty to riches. Without a doubt, Ngolo Kante comes from the most humble beginnings and family backgrounds.
His family’s sacrifice has inspired many who train and play barefoot in the many dusty parks spread across his family’s African roots.
With Kante’s rise to fame, he can now employ his younger sister in the women’s youth football system in Suresnes, in the western suburbs of Paris.
Kante also provided financial assistance to his brother and mother to start their businesses.
N’Golo Kante Mother
N’Golo Kante Mother |
Before Kanté became famous, his mother worked as a cleaner to help make ends meet.
N’Golo Kante father
His father died shortly after N’Golo turned 11
N’Golo Kante siblings
Kante was born as the first child of four brothers and sisters. His older brother, Niama, died of a heart attack before the 2018 World Cup
N’Golo Kante wife
N’Golo Kante wife |
It is still unknown when she married N’Golo Kante. The couple has no children. Still, Jude Litter experienced the joy of motherhood in her previous relationship.
Previously, Littler was in a high-profile relationship with former Liverpool star Djibril Cissé. Notably, the two met at a nightclub and got married in 2005. The wedding was pompous, with Louis Saha, Sylvain Wiltord and others present at the ceremony. The couple had 3 children, but the marriage ended in 2014. Fortunately for Littler, she got the perfect match in N’Golo Kante, who has since emerged as one of the best players in the world. May their partnership be joyful and lasting.
Curiosities
Months after the 2018 World Cup, during the context of the 10-year challenge on Social Media, a shocking image appeared on the internet of Ngolo Kante selling sugar cane, which compared his development between the years 2009 and 2019.
This image left fans mesmerized by his humble beginnings. The image was, however, later noted to be photoshopped.
The lucky barber blessed by Kante
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