5 reasons why N'Golo Kante could win the Ballon d'Or this year

N'Golo Kante is currently one of the best footballers in the world game, and has solidified the claim with exceptional performances in the last few months. The Frenchman has the ability to cover every single blade of grass and can outrun opponents over the full length of the 90 minutes.

This was evident in the Champions League final, as N'Golo Kante was a massive part of the reason why Manchester City managed only a single shot on target. He has an abundance of energy along with tremendous talent, and has backed it up with 5 of football's biggest trophies in the last 6 years.

The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual accolade in football. Hosted by French football, the upcoming awards ceremony may see a Frenchman take the award for the first time in 23 years.

Without further ado, here are 5 reasons why N'Golo Kante could win the Ballon d'Or this year.

#5 N'Golo Kante is back to his best form under Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel

After a slow start to the season under Frank Lampard, N'Golo Kante has rediscovered his best form since the ingenious appointment of Thomas Tuchel.

One of the primary reasons for Chelsea's revival in form in the second half of the season has been Kante's return to form. The Frenchman seemed to struggle in Frank Lampard's 4-3-3 system but looks at home in Tuchel's system of two deep-lying playmakers.

Thomas Tuchel's arrival gave Chelsea a new lease of life, and the former PSG man has effectively used Chelsea's world-class defensive reserves. With two of the best fullbacks in Premier League football, along with talents like Mount, Havertz and Werner at their disposal, Chelsea have been able to lay emphasis on a solid defensive structure.

The Blues' have benefited tremendously from Tuchel's system of three central defenders, supported by two holding midfielders.

Kante failed to get going as the central midfielder in Lampard's flat midfield three, but finds himself in his preferred defensive midfield role under Thomas Tuchel.

#4 Has everyone's respect in the footballing world

The Frenchman is one of the most adored players in the footballing world and has received the love and adoration of fans and players alike.

Paul Pogba spoke about his French teammate in an interview,

"You've got to love him (Kante), you cannot hate him, it is not possible."

The winner of every year's Ballon D'Or is elected through voting by reputed journalists.

Each FIFA nation gets to post one ballot each, which is decided by the football journalists of the country. Players are ranked from one to five; with six points for first place, four for second, three for third place, and so on.

N'Golo Kante commands enormous respect from the footballing fraternity and is one of the most humble and down-to-earth footballers. This will play a massive role in deciding who wins the prestigious Ballon d'Or.

#3 N'golo Kante is arguably the best ball-winner in the world

The likes of Casemiro and Kimmich are regarded as the best defensive midfielders in world football, but N'Golo Kante's exceptional performances in the second half of the season have made a strong case for the Frenchman.

Kante is a dynamic ball carrier from midfield who can intercept and win balls back for Chelsea time and time again. At the same time, he is an excellent passer of the ball and registered a passing accuracy of over 85% in the Premier League season.

The World Cup winner averaged over 50 passes in every league match this season. N'Golo Kante is arguably the best defensive midfielder in world football at the moment, especially due to his exceptional skill of smothering opposition attacks.

The former Foxes' midfielder has registered a tackle success rate of 53% in the 2020/21 Premier League with a staggering tally of 79 tackles and 59 interceptions.

#2 Could win Euro 2020 with France

The upcoming Euros will afford all footballers another opportunity to make their case for the 2021 Ballon d'Or trophy.

While most Ballon d'Ors are decided by the players' performance at their respective clubs, the criteria will be slightly different this year. A case in point is Luka Modric's 2018 Ballon D'Or win, in a season where the Croatian won a Champions League title with Real Madrid and backed it up with Croatia's best performance in a World Cup campaign.

N'Golo Kante has the opportunity to do one better by the end of the 2020/21 season. France are strong favorites going into the Euros and Kante will play a pivotal role at the heart of Les Bleus' midfield. If he can repeat his stellar performances from the 2018 World Cup, it will be very difficult to look beyond Kante as the world's best footballer in the 2020/21 season.

Les Bleus will kick off their Euros campaign against Germany on the 16th of June.

#1 Man of the Match performances in UCL semi-final and final

One of the primary reasons for Chelsea's glorious 2020/21 Champions League campaign was N'Golo Kante's assured presence in midfield.

The 30-year old was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch in the knockout stages of the Champions League, especially in the semis and finals. Real Madrid's midfield trio of Modric, Kroos and Casemiro is widely regarded as the best midfield in world football, but Kante's stellar showing in the semi-finals won Chelsea the midfield battle almost single-handedly.

Heaping praise on Kante, Thomas Tuchel once said in an interview,

"If you play with N'Golo Kante you always play with a minimum half a man more; this is unique."

The Chelsea manager was not disappointed in the Champions League finals either, as Kante stifled Manchester City's attacks over and over again.

City prefer to attack down the middle with short passes and move the ball in narrow spaces, but Kante's presence in the center broke down City's attacks before it could turn dangerous. Kante was, undoubtedly, the best player in the Champions League knockout stages.

The Champions League winners' medal could go a long way in securing France's first Ballon d'Or award since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

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