Joe Cole makes stunning claim about Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante

The former Chelsea man was full of praise for the Frenchman.
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Ex-Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole has made a bold claim about France international N’Golo Kante.

Kante played a tremendous part in the Blues defying the odds and winning the Champions League, beating Manchester City in the final.

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It was a clearly deserved win for the west London side, as they swept some of Europe’s elite aside en route to a second Champions League win, nine years on from their heroic victory in Munich.

Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid were no match for Chelsea, who were enjoying a purple patch of form under new manager Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked by PSG before replacing Blues legend Frank Lampard in the dugout at Stamford Bridge.

And former Chelsea, Liverpool and Lille player Joe Cole has now claimed that one player deserved more praise than anyone: Kante.

The Frenchman has been a revelation since joining from Leicester in 2016. Fresh off of an unlikely title win with Leicester, Kante joined Chelsea for around £34 million, and has been the heartbeat of the team ever since.

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Cole even suggested that he outperformed team mate Jorginho, and should’ve been won the Balon d’Or award, which was eventually scooped by Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, who collected his 7th Ballon d’Or at the ceremony in Paris.

However, Cole thought Kante was more deserving of the award than Messi.

And, Cole may have a point, as Kante was awarded Man of the Match awards for both the semi-final win against Madrid and also the final against Premier League rivals City.

Kante eventually finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or rankings, two places below third-placed team-mate Jorginho.

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Cole, speaking to Coral, said: “I’m going to go with a Chelsea player, having won the Champions League, and say N’Golo Kante. He was overlooked for Ballon d’Or.

“The run-up to the Champions League last season, from the quarter-finals onwards, six out of the seven matches, including the final, he was Man of the Match.

Our eyes are always drawn towards the goalscorers, and the technicians, but the influence that man has on teams is incredible,” said Cole.

He continued: “He’ll finish his career with a bucket-load of trophies, including the World Cup, and I think he’s probably one of the most outstanding midfielders I’ve ever seen.

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“When we talk Jorginho he was European Footballer of the Year, and obviously had a great season as well, but Kante, I feel he outperformed him.”

It was high praise from Cole, who played with another dominant, energetic midfielder in Claude Makelele, who is widely regarded as one of the best holding midfielders of all time.