Currently 33 years of age, Kante has not been a feature of the European leagues since his transfer to Saudi Arabia last year. However, the diabetic made a strong comeback to tournament football on Monday.
Kante began in midfield together with Juventus teammate Adrien Rabiot and was instrumental to France’s victory in their first match at the tournament through a slender 1-0 victory against Austria.
The two-time Premier League and Champions League winner was a key figure in the midfield, making tackles, passes and progressing the attack while also displaying excellent ball control.
Kante, who was in the outfield, enjoyed the entire 90 minutes on the pitch as Didier Deschamps made all five substitutions. Nonetheless, Kante tops the list of players of the match, following his expertise in converting defence into attack.
Post-match, Sunday Oliseh acknowledged Kante’s efforts in the match and revealed that he will be an important player in Euro 2024.
However, he was impressed with the narrow victory from Kylian Mbappe, whom he cites as an influential player for France, alongside Kante. He described Kante as a ‘gigantic alien’ and this statement alone was enough to make France favourites for the tournament, he said.
