‘Humble’ N’Golo Kante praised as ex-Chelsea star cleans up pitch

N’Golo Kante has once again been hailed for his humility after cleaning up the pitch during a Saudi Pro League match – while his team-mates stood by and watched.

The Al-Ittihad star was clearing up scarves that his own supporters had tossed on the pitch as a delaying tactic while they led Al-Ahli 1-0 in the Jeddah derby. The pitch was also littered with plastic bags. 

Kante’s team-mates stopped for a drinks break while the former Chelsea star diligently collected the scarves and returned them to the sidelines in a huge pile. 

Journalist Ben Jacobs claimed that ‘hundreds’ of items had been thrown on to the pitch, but thanks to Kante’s work, action was able to resume. Fabinho also helped to clean up though he came in for less acclaim on social media. 

And as a reward, Al-Ittihad held on from there to win 1-0 and go level at the top of the Saudi Pro League alongside Neymar’s Al-Hilal.

‘Wow, N’Golo Kante is so humble,’ wrote one fan on X.

‘Sometimes I wish Kante stayed forever. He has everything you need in a human being and footballer,’ said a Chelsea fan.

‘No matter the football club Kante plays (for) you can never dislike this guy,’ another wrote. 

‘He should have won the Ballon d’Or,’ one claimed. 

‘Sets the best example to the next generation. Pure human,’ came the verdict of another. 

A couple of commenters claimed that the wind had blown the flags and scarves on to the pitch, but the general consensus was that the Al-Ittihad fans had done it to disrupt Al-Ahli as they were in the ascendancy.

Kante, 33, joined Al-Ittihad on a free transfer in June 2023 after seven seasons at Chelsea, during which time he won the Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League.

He is still waiting for his first taste of silverware in Saudi Arabia and last season was a difficult one for Al-Ittihad, who only came fifth despite enormous investment.

He counts Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Moussa Diaby, and Steven Bergwijn among his team-mates.