£32m former Chelsea player was Antonio Conte’s favourite at Stamford Bridge, he preferred him to Eden Hazard

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Antonio Conte’s time in charge at Chelsea only lasted two seasons, however delivered plenty of success back to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues won the Premier League and FA Cup in the Italian’s two-year tenure in West London. The 1-0 win over Manchester United at Wembley ended up being Conte’s last game in charge.

Conte surprisingly started Bakayoko in that final, with it also being his last official game before eventually leaving permanently in 2023.

Goalscorer that day, Eden Hazard, put out two of his strongest seasons as a Chelsea player under Conte, scoring 17 goals in all competitions in both campaigns.

Hazard praised Conte for the impact he had on them during his time at the club, with him clearly a manager who felt every emotion the same way his players did.

• READ MORE: Chelsea legend Eden Hazard’s impressive achievement six years ago has just been replicated by Mohamed Salah

Antonio Conte named N’golo Kante as his favourite Chelsea player ahead of Eden Hazard

The Belgian was not the only quality player the manager could call upon, with the Blues signing N’golo Kante after a campaign where they finished in the bottom half of the table.

Joining for just £32m proved to be one of the biggest bargain’s in Premier League history, as he transformed the middle of the park at Stamford Bridge until his departure in 2023.

It is clear to see why current star Moises Caicedo idolises Kante, with him being the measuring stick for any central midfielders who have joined the club in recent years.

Conte seemed to echo that admiration of the Frenchman. When asked in 2019, the Italian actually named Kante as his favourite player from his time at Chelsea.

He said to BBC World Service: “There are many good players, for sure, but if I have to mention one player I would like to mention Kante.

“Because he always has a smile on his face. He’s a reliable player, a fantastic player. I wish the best for him, always.”

N’golo Kante’s brilliance continued after leaving Chelsea

At the end of his contract, Kante left Chelsea after a number of seasons where injuries had prevented him from playing as big a role in midfield.

He moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Ittihad, for whom he has so far made 65 appearances.

Kante earned himself a recall to the France squad for Euro 2024, being a regular in midfield for France before they crashed out of the competition.