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#3 Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy does not make this list for being the quintessential nice guy in the Leicester City lineup. Oh, no. He is an absolute beast on the football pitch; the kind who won't stop hassling you until his lungs are punctured.
Vardy makes the list because if you are familiar with his hustle, you wouldn't be able to hate him. Vardy's is one of the best rags-to-riches story in football in recent times. He used to play in the seventh tier of English football, taking home 30 quid a week.
Fleetwood Town signed him at the age of 24 and it was a major step up for him. Vardy started scoring goals in abundance and guided Fleetwood Town to promotion. Then Leicester City stepped in and the rest is history.
Jamie Vardy led from the front as Leicester City got promoted to the Premier League and then went on to win the Premier League in their sophomore season in the English top-flight. Vardy was the Premier League's player of the season that year.
At 34-years-old, Jamie Vardy is still keeping at it and shows no signs of slowing down. He is still leading from the front as Leicester City remain inside the top four places on the Premier League table and it's impossible to hate a player who has gone through so much and came from so little and fought and won the lot.
#2 Luka Modric
Luka Modric wasn't always one of the most adored players in the world. He was voted by his own club's fans as one of the worst signings ever made by Real Madrid in a poll. But thanks to his unquestionable quality, Luka Modric came through and became the first player to break the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly over the Ballon d'Or.
Modric's contributions to Real Madrid has been absolutely immense and Real Madrid fans will remain indebted to Jose Mourinho for signing him. Luka Modric was one of the standout performers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and led from the front like a true champion as Croatia finished as runners-up.
The elegance with which Luka Modric pulls strings from midfield is a treat to watch and even at the age of 35, he is still going strong.
#1 N'Golo Kante
You couldn't possibly find a single person who dislikes N'Golo Kante. The soft-spoken Frenchman has stayed humble despite winning some of the biggest prizes in football. Seen usually with a smile on his face, N'Golo Kante is one of the most admired players in the world.
The Chelsea midfielder is a workhorse on the field and has won the Premier League in back-to-back seasons with Leicester City and Chelsea. He was then one of France's best players as they won the FIFA World Cup in 2018. But none of that success has changed Kante who comes from humble beginnings.
His own teammates came up with a chant for him after they won the World Cup and there's a video of them singing it in the team bus. It's rarely that a entire groups of individuals come together to celebrate someone, particularly so in football. But N'Golo Kante is just that kind of guy.
