N’Golo Kante: When Chelsea Midfielder Went Against the Norm After Winning Champions League Trophy

• N'Golo Kante has always warmed the hearts of Chelsea and rival fans alike
• His unperturbed nature on the pitch and the big smile on his face has earned him plaudits
• When Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021, Kante amazed many people by going against the 'norm'

He is football's nicest man. Name one footballer other than N'Golo Kante who is loved and respected even by rival fans. We'll wait.

Kante has established himself not only as one of the best midfielders of this era but also because of his larger-than-life heart and the constant sheepish smile on his face.

The diminutive midfielder often shies away from attention, despite putting on attention-warranting performances. It has been reported that he was too timid to ask for the World Cup trophy after playing a vital role in helping France to win it in 2018. He wanted to wait for everyone to have fun with it but Steven N’Zonzi stepped in and handed it to him.

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And when Chelsea won the Champions League three years later, the script repeated itself in a similar fashion with Kante seemingly behaving as if he hadn't played a key role in the triumph.

Kante vs Manchester City

For starters, the French star was awarded the man of the match award after the final against Manchester City. He ran Pep Guardiola's team rugged in Porto with Kai Havertz's goal separating the two sides eventually.

As is always the norm once a team wins a trophy, players often kiss it affectionately. Chelsea players passed by the trophy one after the other kissing the 'big ears' trophy. But not Kante.

After being awarded his medal, the then 29-year-old reached where the trophy was and pondered for a minute what to do with it. He then gave the trophy a pat of sorts and walked away, his never-fading smile still on.

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The incident didn't go unnoticed. @tkdrey3 said:

"Man won the CL and acted like it was nothing."

The midfielder has been unlucky with injuries this season. He picked up a hamstring injury in the second game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur before relapsing again. He is expected to be back at the end of next month.

Kante explains source of humility

Sports Brief has previously reported that N'Golo Kanté says his journey from obscurity to fame has taught him so much to be grateful for while he remains humble.

The Chelsea midfielder reveals he failed many times and was rejected by different training centres as he tried to get himself a club during his days as an amateur.

However, after several setbacks, he finally succeeded and that is a major reason for his sheer humility.