'So fit': James Maddison says player Chelsea paid £30m for is even harder to play against than Declan Rice
09/14/2024 02:45 AM
Just who is the best midfielder in the history of the Premier League is a wide open debate that many have an opinion on but according to James Maddison, one man stands out in terms of difficulty to come up against.
The English top flight has seen some of the best to ever do it in the midfield areas.
Even now, the likes of Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard are some of the all-time greats, while legends like Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes will always come up.
Of course, as the years tick by, the opinions among current players change and according to Tottenham’s James Maddison, it’s a former Chelsea man who stands out above the rest.
And that includes picking from a list that contains current Arsenal star and good friend, Declan Rice.
James Maddison says N’Golo Kante is the toughest midfielder to play against
Speaking on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, Maddison was tasked with picking the most difficult midfielder he’d played against.
And while good pal Declan Rice was in there, alongside Man City’s Rodri and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, Maddison went with the cult hero from Chelsea and Leicester.
“N’Golo Kante, just because, he was so so fit and athletic that even like normally at the end of the game when midfielders are getting tired, and you can start getting success in the pockets, he just never tired,” Maddison said.
“He was always there, ratting around. You’d think you had time on the ball and you just didn’t with him.
“And he’s a Leicester legend. Such a lovely guy too.”
Kante was simply immense
Now playing over in Saudi Arabia and raking the money in, N’Golo Kante has to go down as one of the best buys in both Leicester and Chelsea history.
Leicester picked him up for peanuts while Chelsea splashed £30m on him but even that was money well spent.
Kante has won multiple Premier League titles and a World Cup as well, meaning he very much has something about his game that’s to be admired.
The likes of Rice, Rodri and Guimaraes, then, have a bit of a way to go yet to catch the great Frenchman.
