The ManicaPost
Chelsea’s midfield enforcer N’Golo Kante has revealed he could have been a rugby player in another life, but admits his height played its part in his eventual path to football.
Kante has built a reputation as one of the most tenacious tacklers in the Premier League since he arrived at Leicester in the summer of 2015, and will miss the Blues’ Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
But the defensive midfielder revealed he could have been performing crunching tackles of a different kind had he pursued the opportunity to take up rugby in France – although he admits his height of just 5ft 6in may have scuppered his progress.
“When I began school we started swimming, rugby, football, athletics and basketball,” Kante said in an interview with the Sunday Times.
“We did rugby, I tried to tackle the man and my teacher said, ‘When you were at the tournament the scout from the club said you have good spirit, good condition, maybe you can play rugby’. If you want to fight, OK, but maybe in rugby I’ll be too small for that.”
Kante has been the driving force in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield this season as they’ve powered into a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League. But despite his role in the Blues’ engine room, the France international doesn’t hold any interest in flash cars off the field.
In fact, while other stars turn up at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground in 4x4s and flash motors, the 25-year-old has revealed he rocks up in a Mini, and is not thinking upgrading any time soon.
“Me, I’ve never been someone who loves a car and when I was young I didn’t have the ambition of a car or something like that,” said Kante.
“But, uh, my Mini, for the beginning, was good to learn to drive on the left. I got it in Leicester. And I still have it now. But it’s good.” – Daily Mail.
