N’Golo Kante arrives at Chelsea training ground in modest little Mini as team-mates drive lavish supercars… and we can reveal why
French star may be the best midfielder in the world on current form but has shunned flashier motors as he is happy with his lot
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N'GOLO KANTE arrived at Chelsea training today in a modest little Mini while his team-mates drove lavish supercars... and we can reveal why.
The French star may be the best midfielder in the world on current form, but he has shunned flashier motors as he loves his current ride so much.
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When the hard-working French midfielder arrived in England at the beginning of last season when he signed for Leicester, he did not even have a car.
But someone gave him a second hand five-door Mini Cooper S - which starts at just £20,000 - to help him get from A to B.
He became so attached to the white car, that when the ex-Boulogne and Caen midfielder joined Chelsea in the summer for £32million, he saw no reason to change in line with his team-mates.
When the Foxes won the most unlikely of titles, Leicester City's Thai chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha spent nearly £2m to buy 19 BMW i8's for the squad.
But Kante had already moved to Stamford Bridge by then, so missed out - not that he would have minded too much.
Despite earning £110,000 per week now at the champions-elect, 25-year-old Kante revealed that flashy cars do not appeal to him.
He told the Sunday Times: "Me, I've never been someone who loves a car and when I was young I didn't have the ambition of a car or something like that.
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"But my Mini, for the beginning, was good to learn to drive on the left. I got it in Leicester. And I still have it now. But it's good."
Kante seemed content as he arrived at Chelsea's Cobham training ground this morning having starred and scored the only goal in Monday's 1-0 defeat of Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final.
His performances in the centre of Antonio Conte's midfield - as well as for Leicester last season - transformed the previous unknown into one of the world's best players.
But the little man in his little car was eclipsed by his team-mates, including David Luiz and Victor Moses, who drove Mercedes G-classes costing around £100,000.
There was a cohort of Range Rover drivers, Gary Cahill, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Diego Costa and Nathan Ake all behind the wheel of above-£100,000 cars.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Nemanja Matic drove a Mercedes GLS worth £80,000, while Marcos Alonso had a Porsche Cayenne priced at around £85,000 - with Cesc Fabregas in the passenger seat.
And even most of the youth players drove a car more expensive and flashier than Kante - not that the little Frenchman will mind one bit.
The Blues play Stoke away on Saturday knowing they can stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League even further with a win.