Kanté, Lloris, Varane, Giroud: France’s quiet driving force in World Cup

N’Golo Kanté is happiest in the shadows but his brilliant understated role is key to France’s hopes of winning the final

The distance from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Moscow is 1,700 miles. The obvious joke is that N’Golo Kanté could probably jog the distance in his sleep. But a more sincere assessment takes in a five-year route from the third tier of French football to the most important football match on earth.

Five years of relentless running and intercepting and shielding with a perfect blend of energy and quiet intelligence have propelled Kanté to the World Cup final against Croatia as the man who epitomises the idea of a player’s player, a teammate cherished for his invaluable, unshowy, contribution.

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