Kante wanted to play for Mali before choosing France – Vardy

Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy has revealed that former teammate N’Golo Kanté was initially keen to represent Mali before eventually committing his international future to France.

Vardy made the revelation on his podcast, Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party, while reflecting on his time alongside the midfielder during Leicester City’s historic Premier League title-winning campaign in 2015/16.

According to the former England striker, Kanté wanted to honour his father’s homeland by playing for the Eagles of Mali, but a France call-up arrived first.

“Originally, he didn’t even want to play for France. He wanted to represent Mali for his dad,” Vardy said.

“Then France called him before Mali did. We were all at the training ground, like, ‘What are you actually thinking about? They’re going to win.'”

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Kanté made his senior debut for France in March 2016 and helped Les Bleus reach the final of the UEFA European Championship later that year, where they finished runners-up to Portugal.

Two years later, the midfielder played a pivotal role as France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, establishing himself as one of the world’s best defensive midfielders.

The 35-year-old also featured for France at the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Didier Deschamps’ side finished fourth after losing to England in the third-place play-off.

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