Al-Ettifaq and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana (29) has spoken of his conviction that N’Golo Kanté’s (33) recall to L’Équipe de France was the right decision, during an interview with L’Équipe.
Fofana and Kanté both left Europe to play in the emerging Saudi Pro League (SPL) last summer, with the Ivorian joining Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr before being loaned to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, whilst Kanté joined the likes of Fabinho and Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad amid a wave of high-profile arrivals from the European game.
Seko Fofana eulogises Saudi rival Kanté
Far from fearing that Kanté will be left behind by the pace of the game at this summer’s Euro 2024 in Germany, the Africa Cup of Nations Champion insists that the Frenchman, formerly of Chelsea, Leicester City and SM Caen, is playing at the same level as he always has been, with first hand experience of playing against him twice this season, including last week as Fofana’s Al-Ettifaq ran riot in a 5-0 win:
“He has always impressed me. I have played against him twice this season and I can tell you he is still at the same level. He is a guy who has an incredible intensity. On Friday, the thing I noticed the most was his leadership. There were alot of players missing in his team. You could tell he was very important: His game, his runs, his aura..
Honestly, he hasn’t lost it. In his ability to win the ball back, his game vision, his anticipation.. and that doesn’t surprise me because he’s an incredible player with an incredible mentality. He demands alot of himself, he hasn’t come here to relax, and the people here feel it. He is very popular.”
Kanté’s inclusion in Didier Deschamps’ provisional 25-man squad came as a surprise to many, with European audiences perhaps not aware of his performances in the SPL. What does Deschamps feel he can bring to the team? Fofana is unequivocal:
“First of all, his experience. There are some very good young players, everyone knows that, but N’Golo is the ideal player, both in terms of his quality and his ability to set an example. I can tell you know that a Équipe de France with Kanté is stronger, and he gets people to listen to him and respect him.
In terms of whether he can handle the intensity of tournament football, of course he can! There is an important detail that people aren’t considering is that he plays in a city (Jeddah) which is very hot and humid. Physically, it’s hard. There is a rhythm, the teams are well equipped. Above all, look at the number of games he has played this season (42). We accumulated games like in Europe with the league, the cups and continental tournaments. I have no doubt about his level. We will see the N’Golo Kanté that French people recognise.”
