World Cup winner N'Golo Kanté buys small club in Belgium
Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes, left, and Chelsea's N'Golo Kante vie for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, on March 13, 2022. Saudi Arabian soccer champion Al-Ittihad has another high-profile French player to accompany Karim Benzema at the team next season. N’Golo Kante has completed his move there from Chelsea. Credit: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth
BRUSSELS — N’Golo Kanté is making a surprising investment.
The World Cup winner has bought Royal Excelsior Virton, a third-division team in Belgium.
The move was announced by the club Thursday, in a statement headlined “Small town, big dreams!”
Kanté, who this month completed a move to Saudi champion Al-Ittihad on a three-year deal after six years at Chelsea, is replacing entrepreneur Flavio Becca at the helm of the club bordering France.
“Driven by his passion for soccer, N’Golo Kanté’s aim is to continue structuring the club with a view to consolidating its foundations, stabilizing the staff and ultimately reviving RE Virton’s tradition of training through its youth academy,” the club said.
At Al-Ittihad, Kanté will reportedly earn more than $100 million across the length of his deal.
Kanté won the World Cup with France in 2018, the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and has been one of the best players in the Premier League in recent years as a back-to-back champion with Leicester (2016) and Chelsea (2017).
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