Jamie Vardy reveals he and Leicester City stars convinced N’Golo Kante to play for France, not Mali

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Jamie Vardy told the story of how he and other Leicester City stars warned N’Golo Kante against snubbing France in favour of playing for Mali.

Kante proved to be pivotal for the French national team in 2018, as the stability he provided in midfield helped them win the FIFA World Cup.

But according to Jamie Vardy, Kante very nearly snubbed France to represent Mali as a tribute to his father before being talked down from that decision.

How Jamie Vardy and Leicester City stars convinced N’Golo Kante to play for France

On a recent appearance on his podcast, Jamie Vardy revealed that N’Golo Kante initially wanted to represent Mali to honour his father’s nationality.

However, the French national team reached out to him much before, and with encouragement from the Leicester City players, Kante opted to play for France instead.

“Honestly, one of the nicest players ever… The mad thing is, as well, originally, he didn’t even want to play for France.

“He wanted to represent Mali for his dad. France had called before Mali did. We were all on the training ground, going, ‘What are you actually thinking about? They’re going to win! Go to France!’ But that’s just him.”

It’s hard to argue that N’Golo Kante didn’t make the right decision in the end, given the success he was able to experience with the French national team.

N’Golo Kante’s impact being felt even more in his absence from the team

While N’Golo Kante was stellar for France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, his absence from France’s starting lineup at the FIFA World Cup since then has only emphasised his impact.

Kante missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to an injury that kept him out of the squad. His absence was definitely felt in the final against Argentina, where France failed to keep control for the majority of the game.

And in 2026, Kante was in the squad, but at 35 years of age and having played in Saudi Arabia, Didier Deschamps felt that he wasn’t going to have the same type of impact he did in years past.

Perhaps with Kante on the field, France would have had a response to the midfield dominance of Spain, and could have reached the World Cup final.