Former England striker, Jamie Vardy, has disclosed that former Leicester City teammate N’Golo Kante initially hoped to represent Mali before eventually committing his international future to France.
Speaking on the Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party podcast, Vardy reflected on his time with Kante at Leicester City, describing the midfielder as one of the kindest teammates he has ever known and praising his positive attitude.
“Kante is one of the nicest people you could ever meet, and he always has a smile on his face,” Vardy said.
Vardy also shared details of Kante’s international allegiance, claiming the midfielder originally intended to play for Mali in honour of his father’s heritage.
“Originally, he did not even want to play for France,” Vardy said. “He wanted to represent Mali for his dad.”
According to Vardy, Leicester players encouraged Kante to reconsider because they believed France had a stronger chance of winning major international competitions.
Before making his France debut, Mali had already expressed interest in the midfielder.
In February 2016, Kante publicly acknowledged that he had been approached by the Malian Football Federation but said he had not yet decided which country to represent.
Born in Paris to Malian parents, Kante was eligible to play for either nation. Having never featured for France at youth level, he remained free to choose his senior international side while his career flourished in the Premier League.
France manager Didier Deschamps handed Kante his first senior call-up in March 2016.
He made his debut in a 3-2 friendly victory over the Netherlands on March 25 and scored four days later against Russia in his first international start.
Kante went on to enjoy remarkable success with Les Bleus, helping the team reach the UEFA Euro 2016 final before playing a pivotal role in France’s triumph at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Vardy and Kante were teammates during Leicester City’s unforgettable 2015-16 Premier League title-winning campaign. Kante later moved to Chelsea, while Vardy remained a key figure at the King Power Stadium.
Now with Turkish side Fenerbahçe, Kante has earned 69 senior caps for France.
