N'Golo Kante is 'without a doubt' one of the best midfielders in the world, says Chelsea legend Claude Makelele

  • Claude Makelele lavishes praise on his true successor at Chelsea, N'Golo Kante
  • The retired French midfielder also praises Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro
  • Makelele says Casemiro is a 'very intelligent' player and reminds him of himself
  • He reveals why he decided to quit Real Madrid and join Chelsea in 2003

Claude Makelele has given his verdict on N'Golo Kante and Casemiro, the two players who have finally filled his shoes at Chelsea and Real Madrid.

The former France midfielder has also admitted he moved to Stamford Bridge from the Spanish capital because Chelsea appreciated his role and how important he was to the team while Real Madrid no longer valued him.

Of Kante, Makelele told Marca: ‘As a player I had a different sort of leadership, it came on the pitch and it reminds me a lot of Kante now at Chelsea. It’s about knowing what your role is and knowing where to move and how your team-mates are going to move and what they are going to want from you at any given moment.’

Chelsea star N'Golo Kante is one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment

Chelsea star N'Golo Kante is one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment

Real Madrid's Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has become an essential component in the side

Real Madrid's Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has become an essential component in the side

Makelele was full of praise for Kante who will miss France’s meeting with Belarus on Tuesday with a hamstring strain. 


He said: ‘You have to like working for the benefit of the other players before yourself.

‘Kante is an example of that. He doesn’t stop running, and he does it always with a smile on his face. He is a very impressive player, without doubt one of the best midfielders in the world.’

Claude Makelele says he decided to join Chelsea because Real Madrid no longer valued him

Claude Makelele says he decided to join Chelsea because Real Madrid no longer valued him

Makelele opened up about his arrival at Chelsea in 2003 having fallen out with the Real Madrid hierarchy who refused to recognise his importance to the team.

He said: ‘I never wanted to leave Madrid. Why would I want to leave the best club in the world, where you can win trophies? I am not crazy. But there was a difficult situation there that I could not stand any longer. 

'Madrid had given me so many things but I went to Chelsea. The central midfielder is the soul of the team and they realised that.’

Makelele also gave his verdict on the midfielders he has seen throughout his career as a player and coach. 

‘(Andres) Iniesta made an impression on me,’ he said. ‘He was a very complete midfielder; he can do everything on the pitch. Deco was the same. There are not many like those.’

Kante was the player of the year after guiding Chelsea to Premier League success in 2016-17

Kante was the player of the year after guiding Chelsea to Premier League success in 2016-17

Casemiro has won three Champions League titles and La Liga in four years at Real Madrid

Casemiro has won three Champions League titles and La Liga in four years at Real Madrid

On his successor at Real Madrid, the Brazilian holding midfielder Casemiro, he added: ‘He is very good. I was chatting to him in the dressing room before the Champions League final in Milan. He knows his position very well. He does the simple things very well.

‘He reminds me of me. Some people said all I did was run about but technically you have to know where to be on the pitch and what you should be doing. Casemiro is very clever and he even gets forward and scores goal. I never got forward too much with the attacking players that we had in the (Madrid) team.’

One of those attackers that Makelele shared a dressing room with at Real Madrid was Zinedine Zidane. Asked about his old team-mate’s success as a coach he said: ‘Zidane has not surprised me at all.

‘The key is that he has put himself at the players' level. He knows how things work. And what is more he can always say: “Hey! I’m Zidane!”.

‘It’s not easy to manage a dressing room with top players even if you are Zidane but he is doing a great job because he is very clever.’ 

Makelele is not surprised former team-mate Zinedine Zidane has succeeded in management

Makelele is not surprised former team-mate Zinedine Zidane has succeeded in management