France could have missed out on N’Golo Kanté. Jamie Vardy, his former Leicester City teammate, has revealed that the iconic French midfielder initially had no intention of wearing the blue shirt.
Kanté became one of the most important figures in the recent history of the French national team, but his journey with Les Bleus almost never began. Before choosing France, the midfielder wanted to represent Mali to honour his father’s roots.
Leicester Teammates Convinced Kanté to Choose France
The revelation came from Vardy, who played alongside Kanté during Leicester’s historic 2015-2016 season. Speaking on a podcast, the English striker explained that Kanté was seriously considering playing for Mali before his teammates persuaded him to join France instead. “N’Golo Kanté wanted to represent Mali, not France, to honour his father’s roots. We convinced him he would win the World Cup with France,” Vardy said.
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The prediction proved correct. Kanté earned his first France call-up in 2016, quickly reached the European Championship final and became a world champion two years later in Russia. He also won the Nations League in 2021. At the age of 35, the midfielder has made 69 appearances and scored twice for France, while also featuring at the 2026 World Cup.
Vardy also shared another story illustrating Kanté’s legendary humility, revealing that he gave his Mini Cooper to his parents in their village before buying another one after his Chelsea teammates made fun of him. Without the intervention of his Leicester teammates, France could therefore have been deprived of one of its finest midfielders of the modern era, while Mali might have welcomed a future world champion.
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