Chelsea star N’Golo Kante is the top defensive midfielder in the world – according to Claude Makelele
Legendary anchorman big fan of new Blues ace but admits he needs to put in more hard work to become one of the best ever
CHELSEA icon Claude Makelele believes N’Golo Kante is the best defensive midfielder in the world.
But the legendary Stamford Bridge anchorman reckons his compatriot still has a long way to go before becoming as good as he was.
Makelele played an instrumental role in Chelsea’s first title wins in the Roman Abramovich era, helping the likes of Frank Lampard, Tiago and Michael Essien bomb forward to support Didier Drogba.
Kante has been hailed as the Frenchman’s spiritual successor following his £30millon summer move from Leicester to Chelsea, although he’s keen to downplay comparisons.
However, that hasn’t stopped the likes of teammate Nemanja Matic from making bold claims after Kante made a fine start to life under Antonio Conte.
The 25-year-old is now shielding the back four after playing in central midfielder for the Foxes, and Makelele reckons Kante’s age means he has the potential to become one of the best ever in that position.
Related Stories
Asked by , ‘Which current player can do the ‘Makelele’ role best?’, the ex-Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain ace answered: “This position is so difficult to play.
“You need leadership. It’s about working with your [midfield] partner, understanding each other. I do like N’Golo Kante, but whether he’ll be better than me at it I don’t know.
“He needs time to learn the position, to learn more about the game. He’s a young player I like, but I hope he doesn’t get to better than I was!”
Watch ALL the goals from the Premier League before anyone else for FREE plus all the latest news, fixtures and results and live match commentary all on the go with the new Sun Football App –