Pogba says inspiring teammate would be ‘deserved’ winner of Ballon d’Or
Paul Pogba believes N’Golo Kante would be a deserving recipient of the Ballon d’Or after his performances for Chelsea this season.
Kante was the star man for the Blues, particularly in the latter matches, as they won the Champions League. He was named man of the match in both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid. He backed that up with another relentless effort in the 1-0 win over Manchester City in the decider.
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His performances have received plenty of due praise. Joe Cole insisted that Kante is better than his former teammate Claude Makelele after his display in the final.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, has described him as “the best all-round midfielder in Europe.”
Now, Pogba has taken his turn to wax lyrical about the abilities of his international teammate and friend.
It was only last month that Pogba spoke of his love and affection for Kante. But he has now added to that by tipping him for the prestigious individual award.
Kante ‘as good as ever’
Pogba is now in camp with Kante as France gear up for the EUROs. That tournament could have a big say on who is crowned winner.
But even before they have kicked off, he has backed Kante to scoop the honour later this year.
“What I would like to say to the whole world is that the “NG” we have seen in recent months has always been the same,” he told EuroSport France (via the Metro).
“We talk a lot about his performances but he has always been as good as ever.
“There was no Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi in the semi-final, so it’s good to see the performances of the midfielders or even the defenders.
“I said a long time ago that it would be appropriate, if Chelsea won, for him to win the Ballon d’Or. It would be deserved, too.”
Should Kante go on to win the prize, he would become only the second player other than Ronaldo and Messi to do so in the last 14 years. Luka Modric was the other in 2018.
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