Cesc Fabregas lauded his former Chelsea college, N’Golo Kante, and his underrated dribbling ability.
Writing for the Telegraph, Fabregas explained what it was like to play alongside the fantastic Frenchman.
Kante signed for Chelsea in 2016 as part of Antonio Conte’s soon-to-be Premier League title-winning team.
The 30-year-old was pretty convincingly the leagues best player that season, winning the PFA, FWA, and Chelsea’s Player of the Year.
Many have suggested that his next individual target should be the Ballon d’Or, which could well be achieved if he wins the European Championships with France.
Cesc shocked by N’Golo’s special skill
Fabregas, who partnered with the Frenchman for a few campaigns before joining Monaco, detailed the joys of working with the mini-midfielder.
One aspect of Kante’s game that stuck out to the Spaniard was his outspoken skill of close control.
“His dribbling could surprise you,” said Fabregas.
“He’s seen as a defensive midfielder who makes all these tackles and recoveries and it’s fantastic, but sometimes we wouldn’t see him lose the ball.
“He can run with the ball, break lines and dribble, and sometimes, just because it’s him, we don’t appreciate these things.”
Should we be surprised?
Tackling, intercepting, running, intelligence, selfishness, work-rate, control; all things Kante is usually associated with.
Dribbling is not generally one of them.
But perhaps the Parisian prince should be getting more credit for this unspoken gift.
According to WhoScored.com, Kante ranked first for successful dribbles in the Champions League within Chelsea’s squad last season (23).
Continuing with his compliments, Fabregas shared more kind words that are typically connected to the Blues current gem.
“He’s (Kante) so, so smart and he knows how to make the most of his strengths.
“I could go forwards knowing that there was this superman behind me, running for all of us. It was actually incredible.”
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