Former Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has revealed that N’Golo Kanté came close to representing Mali before ultimately choosing France.
According to Vardy, the midfielder initially wanted to play for Mali, the country of his family’s heritage, before his Leicester City teammates persuaded him to consider the opportunity of representing France.
Kanté went on to make his France debut in 2016 before becoming a World Cup winner two years later, underlining how a career-defining international decision shaped both his own legacy and that of the French national team.
The revelation also highlights a familiar challenge for many African nations, which have often seen players eligible for multiple countries weigh emotional ties to their ancestral homeland against the opportunity to compete for major international honours elsewhere.
Speaking about the period when Leicester City were enjoying their historic Premier League title-winning campaign in the 2015-16 season, Vardy said Kanté wrestled with his international future despite emerging as one of Europe’s standout midfielders.
The French-born midfielder, whose parents are from Mali, had attracted attention from the Malian national team and seriously considered representing the Eagles.
Vardy, who shared Leicester City’s dressing room with Kanté during that memorable campaign, said the club’s players believed their teammate possessed the quality to compete at the highest level of international football.
Reflecting on those conversations, the former England striker said: “Originally, he did not want to play for France.
“He wanted to represent Mali for his dad. At the training ground we said to him, ‘What the fk, what are you thinking? France will win the World Cup! Go join France!'”**
The comments provide a rare glimpse into the discussions that took place before Kanté committed his international future.
At the time, Kanté had become one of Leicester City’s most influential players, with his relentless energy and defensive intelligence helping the club produce one of football’s greatest underdog stories.
While his club form continued to improve, the question of which country he would represent internationally remained unresolved.
The midfielder reportedly spent considerable time weighing his options, balancing his desire to honour his family’s Malian heritage against the opportunity presented by France.
Eventually, the midfielder accepted a call-up from France after being selected by head coach Didier Deschamps in March 2016.
That decision proved pivotal.
Just two years later, Kanté played a central role as France lifted the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, becoming one of the tournament’s standout performers and establishing himself among the world’s elite midfielders.
His international career has since become one of the most decorated of his generation, reinforcing the significance of the choice he made during his Leicester City days.
For Mali, however, the story serves as another reminder of the fierce competition African countries often face in retaining or recruiting players eligible for multiple national teams.
