Let’s check out the best N’Golo Kante cards.
The France/Chelsea midfielder has won it all as of 2021, doing the job of three players whether it be club or country.
He won the Champions League last season, and was a key cog in the 2018 World Cup winning side, as well as providing the fire in midfield during the fairytale at Leicester City.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best N’Golo Kanté cards, whether you’re a supporter or a potential investor.
The Best N’Golo Kanté Cards
Whether it’s Chelsea or France, expect to see Kanté in a blue kit for most graded options as they focus on the latter stages of his career. There aren’t many early cards, perhaps due to his progression to the Premier League coming via the French third division.
(Before that, he was in the backwaters of the ninth division of French football, where the only card a rookie is likely to see is a red one if they’re too flashy.)
5. 2014 Panini Foot N’Golo Kante RC #72 (eBay)
This brings us neatly to the first option on our list, released in 2014.
Kante joined Ligue 2 side Caen on a free transfer from the third division in ‘13, and the team finished third and won promotion to Ligue 1.
It might not be a card, (the Panini Foot release is actually a sticker) but it’s one of the earliest pieces of Kante memorabilia on the market. You’ll want an unpeeled pristine version if possible, although it’s unlikely many still exist.
He only spent one further season with Caen, before being scouted to join Leicester’s Premier League title winners of 2015-16.
4. 2017-18 Panini Select N’Golo Kante #261 (eBay)
By 2017/18, Kante had become a back-to-back league champion with Leicester City and Chelsea respectively.
The 2017-18 Panini Select set is split into three 100-card subsets. The base Terrace is the most common, followed by Mezzanine and Field Level, which were released at a rate of roughly two per box (or 1:6 packs).
We’re looking at Kante’s Field Level card, numbered #261. There are also a shedload of rare numbered parallels.
2017-18 Select Field Level Parallels: Silver Checkerboard, White #/99, Copper #/49, Tie-Dye #/30, Zebra #/25, Camo #/20, Gold #/10, Green #/5, Black 1/1
3. 2020-21 Panini Prizm Premier League Soccer N’Golo Kante #15 (eBay)
The ever-popular Fireworks Insert is available as part of 2020-21 Panini Prizm Premier League Soccer.
As the name implies, it has a firework display as the background, alongside a simple image of Kante with the ball at his feet.
The most valuable options are the serial numbered parallels, such as the Gold Vinyl edition seen in the image above.
As a newer release, they’re still reasonably affordable, and there aren’t many graded copies yet.
2020-21 Fireworks Prizm Parallels: Silver, Orange #/25, Gold #/10, Blue Shimmer #/8, Gold Power #/5, Black 1/1
2. 2018 Panini World Cup Prizm N’Golo Kante #82 (eBay)
The penultimate card focuses on Kante’s World Cup win in 2018.
The 2018 Panini Prizm World Cup release is packed full of recognisable names like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while there’s also a Cyrillic text version for most players.
Kante’s card sees him watching the action with a determined look on his face. Once again, parallels are plentiful, and it’s a great card despite the lack of a signature.
2018 World Cup Prizm Parallels: Silver, Hyper, Lazer, Mojo, Red Mosaic, Black/Gold Wave, Green/Orange Wave, Red/Blue Wave, Blue #/199, Red #/149, Light Blue Lazer #/125, Purple #/99, Orange #/65, Pink Lazer #/40, Green Crystals #/25, Camo #/20, Gold Lazer #/15, Gold #/10, Pink #/8 (NSCC), Gold Power #/5, Blue Shimmer #/5 (FOTL), Black 1/1
1. 2016 Topps Premier Gold N’Golo Kante RC #66 (eBay)
Kante’s signed 2016 Topps Premier Gold is a worthy addition to any collection.
The action shot shows his sheer concentration in the middle of the park, while there’s an RC logo found in the bottom left corner.
As well as base autos, the following parallels are available;
- Silver #/99, Purple #/25, Red #/11, Black 1/1
It’s one of the cleanest cards to feature the player, and it’s our top pick if you don’t mind an image of Kante in club colours.
N’Golo Kanté Cards: Buyers Guide
Before Euro 2020, there was talk of Kante leading France to victory, and even a Ballon d’Or on the agenda when coupled with his UCL triumph.
It wasn’t meant to be. That means that there are some great deals available on the market at any given time.
The best cheaper N’Golo Kante cards are going to be graded versions of parallels, such as from the 2018 World Cup set, or recent Panini releases.
Kante is also sure to feature in the 2022 World Cup next year, and more success would cement his legendary status.
We like the Panini Foot and his Topps Premier Gold, but most collectors tend to prefer low parallels and international kits. To be on the safe side, we’d stick with his World Cup card once more.
N’Golo Kante Cards: Buying/Selling Advice
Kante is the best player in the world in his position. However, he seems to be humble, and stays out of the limelight for the most part.
He does his talking on the pitch, and there’s a good chance that he could win more serious silverware this year with club and country.
The Euro 2020 loss was a bit of a blow, but nothing too serious in the grand scheme of things. Another World Cup/UCL win would make his Ballon d’Or claim undeniable.
As always, we’d advise to send any rare cards off for grading. Be aware, they’re unlikely to reach the heights of the Ronaldo’s and Messi’s of the world.