N'Golo Kanté went from collecting garbage to playing the Champions League final with Chelsea

After a very irregular start to the season, which included the departure of Frank Lampard as coach, Chelsea led the way by Thomas Tuchel and managed to settle in the Champions League final for the third time in its history. And for this to be possible, several players raised their level considerably. One of them is the French N'Golo Kanté, who once again shone in the midfield in the same way that he did in Leicester City and also in his country's team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. 

The Malian-born Frenchman has been a machine to steal and intercept balls during the tournament, as he did since he was named best footballer in the Premier League five years ago, when he achieved the miracle of winning the English league with Leicester City.

But to get there he has come a long way. And it is that when the French children saw the World Cup in France 1998 on television, he was dedicated to picking up garbage on the streets of Paris. While Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane and company were crowned champions, he went with his father to work and at the age of seven he helped him clean the streets collecting garbage to later send to a recycling plant.

His father died when he was eleven years old and his childhood was not easy. It was difficult for him to be taken seriously in the world of football because of his short stature (1.68 meters), so he took an accounting course after finishing high school in case he had to dedicate himself to something else one day. But finally Caen trusted him and now he is one of the most sought-after midfielders on the planet.

In the current edition of the Champions League, he was a substitute for Mateo Kovacic in several games, but an injury to the player prevented him from being available for the semi-final series of the international tournament. And the French did not disappoint. He was a real machine in the midfield: he recovered balls, he ran to everyone, he assisted ... Absolutely everything that a player of his quality usually does.

N'Golo Kanté vs Real Madrid: highlights

N'Golo Kanté vs Real Madrid. 
pic.twitter.com/edzLuYzhOw

— uD835uDE45uD835uDE3FuD83CuDF99 (@JuannDis) May 5, 2021