Didier Deschamps names his Ballon d'Or 2021 favorite
Didier Deschamps has backed N'Golo Kante to win the Ballon d'Or this year after his incredible performances for Chelsea. The France National Team coach claims the midfielder is the driving force at both his club and country.
Fans and pundits have been rallying for N'Golo Kante to win the Ballon d'Or this year after his impressive performances in the Champions League. The Chelsea star was the man of the match in most of the knockout stage games and in the final, which the Blues won.
Didier Deschamps has now echoed the voices and backed his star player to lift the Ballon d'Or trophy in December. Speaking to the media ahead of EUROs, the French coach said:
"N'Golo, he doesn't have the record of a striker. He can score a few goals but because of what he does everyone must have watched his last games, especially the Champions League final, N'Golo is also a driving force.
"The Ballon d'Or? He deserves it. You know the criteria as well as I do, it mainly concerns offensive players. When there was a defender or a midfielder, it was because there was no attacking player who had really marked the football year. He is one of those driving forces of the France team too, he has a place, it is not in relation to his size by saying that he is small, but he is huge."
Can N'Golo Kante win the Ballon d'Or this year?
While fans and pundits are backing N'Golo Kante to win the Ballon d'Or this year, there are another six months of football left before the voting. The attackers are usually preferred over defenders and midfielders for the trophy, which could end up being the case once again.
Robert Lewandowski is challenging N'Golo Kante for the Ballon d'Or right now, and he has a good chance of winning it. The Bayern Munich star was touted to win the trophy last year before it was scrapped by France football because the game was paused in several countries due to the pandemic.
However, if France end up winning the EUROs and N'Golo Kante plays a considerable part in it, the Chelsea star could take a giant step towards lifting the Ballon d'Or trophy in December.