#5 N’Golo Kanté – Mali
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Born in Paris to Malian parents, Kante was approached by Mali ahead of the 2015 African Cup of Nations having not represented France for any of their youth teams. But the offer was declined on the basis that Kante was still trying to establish himself in Ligue 1, having represented Boulogne and Caen in the second division of French football.
Remaining an unknown commodity, Kante was scouted for Leicester City by Steve Walsh, who had also previously facilitated the transfers of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez to the club. A dream first season in England followed as Leicester defied all odds to lift the Premier League title, with Kante considered to be a major factor in the team’s strong showings.
Mali issued a further invitation to Kanté in January 2016, although he stated that he was still undecided about which national team to represent should he get an invite from France.
His consistent performances at the club level did not go unnoticed as Didier Deschamps included him in the French squad for Euro 2016, making his first senior appearance in the opener against Romania at the Stade de France, setting up Dimitri Payet’s winner.
