N’Golo Kante’s first Saudi Pro League goal has left Chelsea fans in disbelief.
The central midfielder, 32, joined Al-Ittihad in the summer after seven seasons with the west Londoners. Kante over the years has mainly been known for his outstanding engine and defensive work, which helped him claim two Premier League titles and a Champions League winners medal.
But the World Cup-winning Frenchman has seemingly added another string to his bow in the attacking third since his move to Saudi Arabia. He notched his second assist of the season in the 2-1 win over Al-Fateh on Thursday.
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Yet it was Kante’s own brilliant strike that set tongues wagging. The veteran midfielder picked the ball up on the edge of the opposition box, skipping past a defender before curling his effort into the far corner to mark his first goal for the club.
Blues fans on Twitter were left scratching their heads at the sublime skill on display, writing: “He couldn’t do that at Chelsea,” and “Saudi have Kante playing like prime Philippe Coutinho”.
A third added: “How comes everyone shoots from outside the box when they’re not playing for us?” Yet while Kante only scored 13 times in 269 Chelsea appearances, the Frenchman did score his fair share of stunners for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
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He netted from outside of the box against Manchester United, Leicester City, Tottenham and Southampton. Arguably his best strike came when he similarly danced his way to the edge of the Liverpool box before finessing the ball in during the 2019/20 season.
Kante’s impressive form comes after his Chelsea contract expired in the summer. He followed countless other European stars in making the switch to Middle-Eastern football.
He told Chelsea’s official club website: “My dream was to become a footballer and to try and win trophies. Joining Chelsea was the perfect arrangement for me to achieve those dreams.
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“The first day I joined Chelsea, I was told very early on that the objective here is always to win trophies. Always. I’ve managed to do that and I’m so grateful to my coaches, my teammates, and the Chelsea supporters for helping me achieve this.
“I remember how the move to Chelsea came about, very clearly. I was at Leicester and we had an amazing season. Shortly after we won the title, my agent called me and told me that Chelsea were interested in signing me.
“Straight away, I had a good chemistry with Antonio Conte. He was the coach who signed me and I felt that he knew what he wanted from me and what he wanted, and expected, from the club. I never once regretted that choice, it was perfect for me."
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