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Rabat – Former England striker Jamie Vardy has revealed that N’Golo Kante originally wanted to represent Mali before accepting a call-up to the France national team.
Vardy made the comments while discussing his former Leicester City teammate on the “Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party” podcast.
He described Kanté as one of the kindest people he had met and recalled the midfielder’s cheerful personality.
“Kante is one of the nicest people you could ever meet, and he always has a smile on his face,” Vardy said.
The former Leicester captain then offered details about Kante’s international decision, claiming that the midfielder initially planned to play for Mali in recognition of his father’s roots.
“Originally, he did not even want to play for France,” Vardy said. “He wanted to represent Mali for his dad.”
Mali had previously approached Kante
According to Vardy, Kante’s Leicester teammates urged him to consider the opportunity with France because they believed Les Bleus had the quality to win major international trophies.
However, reports published before Kanté’s France debut indicate that Mali had already approached the midfielder.
In February 2016, Kanteé publicly said he remained undecided between the two countries after receiving interest from the Malian federation.
Kante was born in Paris to Malian parents and was therefore eligible to represent both nations. He had not played for France at youth level, leaving his international future open as his career developed in England.
France coach Didier Deschamps handed Kante his first senior call-up in March 2016. The midfielder made his debut on March 25 in a 3-2 friendly win over the Netherlands before scoring four days later against Russia on his first start.
The decision eventually brought major success. Kante was part of the France squad that reached the Euro 2016 final and became a key member of the team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Vardy and Kante spent one season together at Leicester, helping the club secure its historic 2015-16 Premier League title. Kante later joined Chelsea, while Vardy remained an important figure at Leicester.
Now playing for Turkish club Fenerbahçe, Kante has made 69 senior appearances for France.
