• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
'Outstanding' Chelsea Star 'Overlooked' For 2021 Ballon d'Or After Lionel Messi Win

Home> Football

Updated 11:15 4 May 2022 GMT+1Published 11:30 7 Jan 2022 GMT

'Outstanding' Chelsea Star 'Overlooked' For 2021 Ballon d'Or After Lionel Messi Win

Chelsea legend Joe Cole believes that N'Golo Kante will win a "bucket load of trophies," despite missing out on the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Chelsea star N’Golo Kante was “overlooked” for the 2021 Ballon d’Or and “outperformed” Blues teammate Jorginho last season, according to Joe Cole.

The 30-year-old French midfielder played an instrumental role in both the semi-final and final of Chelsea’s Champions League triumph last season.  

Kante scooped the Man of the Match award twice in the semi-final matches against Real Madrid before a masterclass performance against Manchester City in the final.

The Chelsea star was nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or alongside fellow club teammates Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Mason Mount and Romelu Lukaku.

Advert

Kante finished fifth in the race for the Ballon d’Or with 186 points, with Jorginho ranking third with 460 points.

Lionel Messi won France Football’s coveted prize for a record-extending seventh time, with the Barcelona legend finishing 33 points ahead of Robert Lewandowski.

PA

Chelsea legend Cole hailed Kante for his “outstanding” influence on his team and insisted that he was “overlooked” for the major individual awards.

Advert

Despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or, Cole believes that the 2018 World Cup winner will end his remarkable career with a “bucket load of trophies.”

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

“I've watched him week in, week out and his influence on the team is outstanding. He has missed large chunks of the season through injury and he has been missed. When he has played, he has been outstanding.

PA

Advert

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

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

“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 ever seen. And he got overlooked for the player of the year awards.

“When we talk Jorginho, he won the European Footballer of the Year and obviously had a great season as well. But N'Golo Kante, I feel he actually outperformed him in similar positions.”

Advert

PA

Kante arrived in England in 2015 after Leicester City secured his services in a reported £5.6m deal from French side Caen.

The France international was a formidable force in his debut Premier League season and played a crucial role in firing the Foxes to the league title in the 2015-16 campaign.

Kante left Leicester after one season and completed a move to Chelsea in a reported £30m deal.

Advert

The ex-Leicester star, who has made 235 appearances for Chelsea, has lifted a Premier League title, a Champions League, a Europa League and an FA Cup with the Blues.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: NGolo Kante, Chelsea, Premier League, England, Football

Adnan Riaz
Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

X

@AdnanRiaz9

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 mins ago
an hour ago
  • 6 mins ago

    Roy Keane's former teammate opens up on 'confusing' incident which cost ex-Man Utd captain £12,000

    The legendary former Old Trafford skipper parted with way more cash for an item than he initially thought.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Marcus Rashford breaks his silence after Man Utd brutally hand number 10 shirt to Matheus Cunha

    Marcus Rashford has seen his Manchester United squad number taken away.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Why Jobe and Jude Bellingham won't play each other in Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

    The two brothers will not meet on the pitch despite their teams facing each other.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Sporting CP issue statement on Viktor Gyokeres return as 'deadline' set for transfer

    Viktor Gyokeres has been heavily linked with a move away from Sporting Clube de Portugal.

    Football
  • John Terry has already named ex-Chelsea player who ‘deserved’ Ballon d’Or ahead of Lionel Messi
  • Steven Gerrard claimed England player was 'better' than Lionel Messi in year he won second Ballon d'Or
  • Non-league club makes sensational offer to Ballon d'Or winner weeks before new season starts
  • Mykhailo Mudryk 'breaks silence' as Chelsea star faces one of longest bans in history amid doping charge