On This Day (Mar 29.): Happy B’day, Ngolo Kante – an Extraordinary Footballer Without the Usual Traits of a Footballer
- Rohit Chatterjee
- 8 hours ago
- 4 minutes read
One of the humblest players ever to grace the game, Kante is a rare gem who lives a life of simplicity
Footballers, especially those playing in Europe's top five leagues, are known for earning lucrative salaries. Therefore, they live and show off a certain lifestyle that often includes mansions, fast cars, expensive accessories, clothes, and many parties. However, there have been a few exceptional players in modern-day football who chose to live a simple life instead of indulging in a lavish lifestyle.
Ngolo Kante, who turns 35 today, is one such player.
No fancy car
Before Kante became a more handsomely paid player at Chelsea, he was at Leicester City, where he earned enough to afford a fancy car, but he didn't care about it. After much persuasion from teammates, Kante finally settled on a Mini Cooper and kept it even after joining Chelsea.
After agreeing not to run to work, Kante decides to invest in a new motor.
— The Upshot podcast (@UpshotTowers) June 22, 2024
While his teammates opt for Bentleys and Range Rovers, Kante goes for a cream Mini Cooper.
He even carries on driving it to matches after pranging the wing mirror on a lorry. pic.twitter.com/smEZ4rhg9H
In fact, in 2018, when he crashed his car, instead of getting annoyed and changing it, he was more than happy to get out and take selfies with his fans. And two days later, he was back in the training with the same car.
When asked about getting a new car, Kante had said, “I’ve never been someone who loves a car, and when I was young, I didn’t have the ambition of a car or something like that. But my Mini, at the beginning, was good to learn to drive on the left. I got it in Leicester, and I still have it now. But it’s good.”
A broken phone
N'Golo Kanté has won the PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month award for March with 36.7% of the vote 👊
— Squawka (@Squawka) March 31, 2017
It's Squawka Suggests time! pic.twitter.com/N6DOTBv5Hs
Former Chelsea teammate Kai Havertz once highlighted Kante’s 10-year-old phone, showcasing his down-to-earth persona and lack of indulgence in material possessions. “There’s an image of footballers, all fancy and diamonds and this and that. I have met players who spend so much on things where you think: ‘Why do you do this? There are players who don’t care, but others do. It’s not always about saying: 'I did this.' That’s sometimes a bit fake. N’Golo Kante is another. He’s had the same phone for 10 years, doesn’t care about cars, doesn’t care about clothes,” revealed Havertz.
Shy on the pitch
When France wins the World Cup, the jubilant players take turns parading the trophy around the pitch.
— Blue frame 𝕏 (@cfctheblueframe) January 29, 2025
However, Kante is too shy to request his turn.
So, Steven N’Zonzi takes the trophy and hands it to the midfielder. pic.twitter.com/0W5H1v5IIt
Forget Kante’s lifestyle outside the football pitch; his humility is such that after he won the FIFA World Cup in 2018 with France, he did not touch or pose with the trophy until teammate Steven N’Zonzi realised Kante’s hesitation. Zonzi intervened, halted the other players' celebration, and gave the trophy to Kante.
Donations and philanthropy
N'Golo Kanté is the 🆕 owner of Belgian third division club Royal Excelsior Virton 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/AWyVIl8moI
— 433 (@433) June 29, 2023
A man who grew up in poverty, Kante tries his best to help people with donations and philanthropy. Given that his family migrated from Mali to France, Kante invested $5 million in a state-of-the-art medical facility in Mali. He has even committed to building stadiums and water reservoirs in Mali, whereas his initiatives to improve grassroots-level football in Africa and Europe, including the acquisition of Belgian third-tier club Royal Excelsior Virton, aim to stabilise youth operations.
In short, Kante is one of those pure souls who used professional football not only to change his life but also to positively impact the lives of others across the globe. On his birthday, we wish him a long and healthy life and hope he continues to work for the betterment of this world.
