N’Golo Kanté, luxury freelancer Didier Deschamps

Called up for the second time after a long absence, the 34-year-old midfielder now has special status in the France team which will face Ukraine on Thursday.

His last appearance for the French team did not make the audience shudder. Captain in the Stade de France ring hollow against Israel (0-0) last year, N’Golo Kanté and his teammates were very disappointed. Qualification for the quarter-finals of the League of Nations has not yet been confirmed. Then, the player who played in Saudi Arabia missed the next 11 matches of French selection, before being recalled by Didier Deschamps for a meeting that began with a Ukrainian reception, Thursday 13 November, at the Parc des Princes.

The 2018 world champion has never been excluded by his coach. “This still has the potential to be selected. Until now, the purpose of giving may still be there (play time) to younger people to become more resilient. But, of course, he had status and experience. If I call him, it’s so that he has an important role. In the context of this qualification, it is always in my mind”, “DD” justified himself to journalists.

Against Ukraine, he is not guaranteed to start. One thing is for sure, he will not be wearing the captain’s armband this time, with Kylian Mbappé present. But his experience is an asset for a much younger group from 2023. As the oldest player in the group, he is also the second most capped player (64 caps – behind Mbappé’s 93 caps) and one of only three 2018 world champions (alongside Mbappé and Lucas Hernandez). N’Golo Kanté has never lost a Euro or World Cup qualifying match.

“N’Golo is a very important player, who gives great confidence to his teammates on the pitch. He is a sure bet, he always performs at a high level, through his attitude, his quality. We know he is very happy with us, and we are even more so.”

Kylian Mbappe

in a pre-match press conference

The person concerned seems satisfied with his occasional use in the French team. He returned first in June 2024 to play at the Euros, ending two years without a single international match. “It’s true that there is a new generation, new players. When the time comes, I will have no problem stopping, but as long as I can, I will try to give the maximum and enjoy”he assuredly showed no animosity towards the idea of ​​leaving his place for the sake of the Blues’ future.

His withdrawal was partly due to the absence of Aurélien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot, both through injury. But Didier Deschamps could call on Khéphren Thuram to replace him, whose name appeared on the previous list. “(N’Golo Kanté) is at his best level since he plays a match every 3-4 days”underlined Deschamps. The former Caen man is a permanent starter at his Saudi club, Al-Ittihad, and is starting his third season (a total of 92 games played and no major injuries). Together with three other players in blue uniforms, Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby and Houssem Aouar, he will try to defend the national title.

A mission poorly executed as Al-Ittihad are only eighth in the Saudi Pro League after eight days and remain on a five-match winless run (3 losses, two draws). The goal of this meeting is much more achievable. A win against Ukraine on Thursday would validate the Blues’ ticket to next year’s North American World Cup. For Kanté, who missed the 2022 edition due to a thigh injury, completing this adventure could be the ideal epilogue to his extraordinary international career.