Spanish giants Real Madrid are a real juggernaut when it comes to European football, but even they were helpless against the brilliance of Chelsea icon N’Golo Kante a few years ago.
Chelsea are waiting for the Conference League to resume on Thursday when they face Legia Warsaw in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the Champions League quarter-finals commence on Tuesday, which includes the Arsenal versus Real Madrid tie.
It’s quite interesting when you look at Madrid’s record against English teams throughout history. As you can see below, they’ve found it difficult against many English sides, including Chelsea.
| Clubs | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win ratio |
| Manchester City | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 42.9% |
| Liverpool | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 58.3% |
| Manchester United | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 45.5% |
| Chelsea | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 33.3% |
| Tottenham | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Arsenal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0% |
| Derby County | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| Leeds United | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Ipswich Town | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0% |
N’Golo Kante wiped the floor with Real Madrid in the 2021 Champions League
During Chelsea’s run to lifting the Champions League in the 2020/21 season, N’Golo Kante put together a ridiculous run of displays. This included back-to-back dominant performances against Madrid in the semi-finals.
On 27 April 2021, Chelsea recorded a 1-1 away draw against Madrid in the semi-final first leg. Afterwards, they followed that up on 5 May with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in the second leg.
Raphael Varane called Kante a “nuisance” after his individual performance in the first leg. Meanwhile, even Madrid fans raved about Kante after his display against them in the second leg.
| Key passes | Interceptions | Tackles | Pass accuracy | Clearances | Match rating |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 87.5% | 0 | 7.21 |
| Key passes | Interceptions | Tackles | Pass accuracy | Clearances | Match rating |
| 3 | 5 | 1 | 85.3 | 1 | 7.67 |
Kante was awarded Player of the Match in both legs against Madrid, plus the same thing happened in the final against Manchester City (UEFA’s website).
Kante’s career at Chelsea between 2016 and 2023 will always be remembered for winning six major trophies trophies with them, including the Champions League. However, the fact that the Frenchman turned up in the biggest games is what marks him out as a true great of his generation.
Back in 2018, Eden Hazard’s raved about Kante by describing him as “the best in the world” in his midfield position.
Even at the age of 34 now, he’s still brilliant in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad.
What Timo Werner said after N’Golo Kante masterclass vs Real Madrid
Former Chelsea attacker Timo Werner, who was another important part of the team that won the Champions League in 2021, starred alongside Kante in the victory over Madrid.
When the Blues beat Madrid in the second leg, Werner waxed lyrical about Kante in his post-match interview.
The German attacker said via Chelsea’s official website: “N’Golo is always really important for us. He’s a beast, to win the ball and fight and run all over the place. The manager tells us every time he is playing that we play with two players.
“He’s a really good guy, plays so good, and also last night how he ran next to me and created a chance and also when he ran with the ball, gave a pass to Christian at the second goal. He’s so important to us and I’m very glad we have him in our squad.”
Even against Madrid’s legendary trio of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos, Kante was the winner of the midfield battle in both semi-final legs.
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