Kante Makes Magic

The Chelsea midfielder is capable of pulling dazzling moves on the soccer pitch.

- Murray McNally

HE’S been called the silver bullet of the Premier League – the guy who can make magic happen and turn a team’s fortunes around.

Just look at lowly Leicester City, winning the Premier League last year with N’Golo Kanté on their side. And he’s injecting his dose of brilliance into Chelsea right now too.

Take the Blues’ recent FA Cup game against Manchester United for example: fans were growing listless as the match looked to be grinding out to a draw – but deep in the second half there was a moment of sheer mastery.

The smallest player on the field, Chelsea’s central midfielder Kanté, drove a low shot past the grasp of United goalie David de Gea to clinch the game.

It was only the second goal of the season for the 1,68-m dynamo they call Duracell (after the long-lasting battery) but it dumped Man United out of the FA Cup and took Chelsea – this season’s Premier League leaders – to the semifinals on 22 April.

What Kanté (26) lacks in goal-scoring prowess he makes up for with his sheer tenacity and in-your-face ball poaching – qualities his teammates admire because it frees them up to find more creative ways to bang the ball into the back of the net.

And few of his teammates are more grateful to Kanté than Eden Hazard, Chelsea’s creative and prolific goal scorer who’s often compared to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Kanté is everywhere and I think sometimes when I’m on the pitch I see him twice,” the Belgian star said after Kanté was named Man of the Match following the Man United clash.

“One on the left, one on the right. I think I’m playing with twins.”