Chelsea star N'Golo Kante feels his image of being a nice guy is overblown.
The Frenchman, who was deservedly named Man of the Match in the club's Champions League final triumph over Manchester City in Porto, is comfortably the most humble footballer around.
Kante has become a player that even rival fans can't help but love because of how pure and innocent he is - not to mention his unrivalled work-rate on the pitch.
From driving a Mini Cooper to training to accepting a dinner invite from a fan and eating curry before watching Match of the Day, the former Leicester City man is just the best.
But incredibly, Kante manages to be humble about being humble and claims he is just a "normal guy" and "just a player like the others".
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"It is true that sometimes, there is this image that is a bit too wonderful and a bit too beautiful," he said in a press conference on Sunday at Clairefontaine, as per Get Football News France.
"But in the end, I am just a normal guy. A player amongst others.
"There is no need to say I am the kindest, or the nicest. I am just a player like the others. I think that sometimes, it is overblown. It does not need to be.
"It is true that I like to get on well with my team-mates, to have good relationships with people that I come across in the streets and in football. But aside from that, there are other people like that in football. We don't need to make a whole story or sometimes exaggerate."
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It really does the sum the great man up.Too shy to ask for a picture with the World Cup trophy in 2018, Kante's reaction to Chelsea's Champions League triumph was a humble one when he gave the prize an awkward pat as opposed to joining his teammates in kissing it.
Modest as they come, Kante had to be hoisted in the air by teammate Antonio Rudiger as the Blues did the customary trophy lift at the Estadio Da Dragao.
Another wholesome Kante story arrived recently as a former teammate, from his days in Ligue 2 with Caen, recalled him arriving a birthday party and apologising for not knowing what to bring, arriving a birthday party and apologising for not knowing what to bring, because he'd never been invited to one before.
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"I called [N'Golo] Kanté for my birthday, it was a small party," Felipe Saad told Brazilian outlet Uol Sport.
"Suddenly, he arrived at the restaurant with a box of chocolates, all ashamed.
"He apologised for the gift and said he didn't know what to get because he had never been invited to a birthday party before."
Although Kante underplayed it, Saad said people like him are a rarity in football today and he is exactly the same behind closed doors.
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"N'Golo is one of the best hearts I know, he's a profile that doesn't exist anymore in football," the Brazilian added.
"That's why there's unanimity amongst the players...inside the dressing room, he's just the same as what you guys see on the television."
His all-action displays might even lead to him winning the Ballon d'Or but if you had to give out an award for the best person in football, he's already a shoo-in.
He's so nice that he gets away with being late to France training - and cheating at card games according to teammate Paul Pogba.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Chelsea, Football, France, N'Golo Kante
