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N’Golo Kante’s story is one of grass to grace; it typically depicts the importance of hard work and just how much hard work can help one achieve his goals despite the odds.

Before the praises came and before the star status for Kante, the Chelsea midfielder revealed that many clubs rejected him during his teenage years claiming that he wasn’t good enough for them.

“When I was young, between 13 to 18, I tried to get into professional academies like Rennes, Lorient, Sochaux maybe four or five different ones,” he said.

“But it wasn’t a success because they said things like ‘we have more players like you in our teams and we didn’t need you.’

“So I kept working in my local team Suresnes, a little team in a suburb of Paris.

“I didn’t get much explanation why they didn’t take me in their teams but for me the main reason was maybe just that I wasn’t good enough. There were some players better than me or as good as me.”

Kante was speaking at Woodroffes Solicitors, London, after becoming an ambassador for Foundation Arthritis.