Chelsea's midfield maestro, N'Golo Kante has left the Premier League after his 8 years long run. He has signed a new contract of 4 years with Saudi club, Al Ittihad marking his exit from the English league.

Kante's incredible journey

Now that Kante has left the Premier League on a new long term deal of 4 years, where he would be making €25 million per year, with Al Ittihad we take a look at his journey from the very beginning of his career to how he became one of the most prolific central midfielders of our generation.

He has given his 100% for every team he played and in every match he appeared. His efforts reflected on the field and was rightfully awarded for it.

His early footballing days

The French made his senior professional debut in the year 2012 for Boulogne and and two years later he signed for Caen on free transfer and helped his team in finishing third in the league and achieving promotion to Ligue 1. He stayed with the club for one more year and then his life changed when Steve Walsh scouted Kante for Leicester.

Fairytale year at Leicester City

On 3rd August 2015, Kante signed a four year contract with Leicester City and marked his arrival in the Premier League. He made his debut against Sunderland just five days later. And on 7th November, he scored his first Premier League goal against Watford.

Kante was a key factor in Leicester City's fairytale win in the Premier League. The most impressive thing about Kante was his work rate. It was like he had two lungs. He never stopped running. He always made crucial interceptions in the middle of the field and was not afraid to tackle someone to win the ball back. He ended the 2016 season with a total of 175 tackles which was 31 more than any other player and made the highest number of interceptions, 157 which was 15 more than the player at the second place.  He was also named in the PFA Team Of The Year making his debut season a massive success in the Premier league.

His time at Chelsea

After his amazing time at Leicester and because of his unbelievable performances in the midfield, Chelsea offered to sign the player on a five year deal and was willing to pay £32 million for the player, which the player gracefully accepted. Arsenal was also interested in the player but backed out and bought Granit Xhaka instead.

At Chelsea he wore the no. 7 shirt and made his Premier League debut for Chelsea against West Ham United in their first match of the season on 15th August 2016. Despite picking a yellow card within the opening five minutes of the game, he helped Chelsea in winning the game .His first Chelsea goal was on 23rd October against Manchester United.

His first season at Chelsea was also a hit. He won a couple of man of the matches. Didn't really had a bad game. Always contributed to the winning cause of the team. Played almost every minute of that season for Chelsea. And because of these attributes he was again named in the PFA Team of the year for a second consecutive season. And was also named  PFA Players' Player of the year, FWA Footballer of the year and a well deserved Premier League Player of the season.

As Chelsea went on to win the league that year under Antonio Conte, Kante became the first player since Eric Cantona to win back to back the Premier Leagues with two different clubs. It was quite an achievement for someone who was playing in the second division of the French league just three years ago. He ended the season with a man of the match award in the FA Cup final win against Manchester United.

He became Chelsea's highest paid footballer in 2018. He won the Europa League that season against Arsenal. In 2018, he also became a World Champion for France and was instrumental in their World Cup triumph.

In 2021, he helped Chelsea in winning the Champions League trophy for the 2nd time in the history of the club. He became man of the match in both semi final and round of 16 matches against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid respectively .Kante was named UEFA Men's midfielder of the year that season which was also well deserved.

End of an era

His time at Chelsea was an absolute success. With his humble and easy going attitude and a smile on his face he became one of the greatest Premier League midfielders of our generation. That's why when he signed a contract with Al Ittihad it marked the end of an era.

It was quite understandable for the fans to get upset when they heard N'Golo Kante has left the Premier League. He was one of the players who was liked by everyone, even the rival fans, players and managers liked him. So his exit is gonna leave a great void in Chelsea's midfield which they're desperately trying to fill.

Kante's Premier League stats

Kante has played for 18,429' minutes in the Premier League. In those minutes he has 227 appearances, in which he has 29 goal contributions for both Leicester City and Chelsea combined.

Premier League, also known as English Premier League, is a top-tier football league in England. This league consists of 20 teams in a league system with a relegation and promotion system to/from the English Championship.

Each team plays 38 matches against every other 19 at home and away. The seasons generally start in August and run till May. The Premier League is the most-watched sports league globally and is broadcast in over 200 territories with an average number of viewers of 4.7 billion.

The top 4 finishers of every year qualify directly for the UEFA Champions League. Also, the Premier League is the most valuable sports league in the world, with a valuation of 4 billion pounds.

This league also has a direct effect on the economy of England. Different regions have different clubs with private ownership. The prize money for the winning team is 125 million pounds. Along with this winning amount, TV/ broadcast money also gets added. And the rest of the sponsorship money is equally distributed among the other 19 clubs.

Read also- Most Bundesliga titles till 2023

Premier League: History

The Football League First Division was the top-tier football league in England from 1888. But, post-1970s and early 1980s, the league started to reach a low point with incidents like the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster, which got them banned from UEFA Compettions for 5 years. 

But after England reached the 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, the downward trend started to reverse. The stadium started to get filled, and the Taylor Report on stadium safety standards also helped clubs to create better standard stadiums. 

After a dispute over TV rights and maximising the club revenue, the big five clubs, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Arsenal opted to come out of the Football League First Division and create another league. 

At the close of the 1990-91 season, the FA Premier League was formed, and from 1992-93 the Premier League era started with 22 teams. Manchester United were the first Premier League champions and went on to win seven of the first nine trophies.

Who has won the most Premier League titles?

Till now, 51 teams have played in the Premier League since the tournament was rebranded in 1992. 7 teams have successfully won the Premier League title. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham are considered the 'Big Six' in the Premier League. Unfortunately, Tottenham haven't lifted any major title in their history, but still, they go toe to toe with every club and take part in the title race.

Most Premier League titles won by the clubs

Most Premier League Titles

7. Liverpool FC - 1 title

The Anfield Giants are one of the most popular English Clubs. Midfield maestros Steven Gerrard and William Shankly were a few of the legends that the club produced.

However, Liverpool had to wait for 30 years for their first-ever Premier League title. The club won the Premier League once in 2019-20 under German tactician Jurgen Klopp. That was Liverpool's nineteenth overall title in England's top-tier football. 

Mohamed Salah, with 19 goals, was one of the star performers for the Reds in that season. 

6. Leicester City - 1 title

In the 2015-16 Premier League season, Leicester City won the title in the Premier League. They were considered to be an underdog before but they overcame the rough phase and won the Premier League title in the club's 132-year history.

Striker Jamie Vardy broke the record for consecutive games with a goal in the Premier League (11). Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez became both the first African and Algerian player to be the recipient of the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

Also Read: Football Facts: Son-Father Football Pair Who Played For Same Club

5. Blackburn Rovers - 1 title

Blackburn Rovers was one of the 22 founding members of the Premier League era. They won the Premier League a long time ago in the 1994-95 season. Alan Shearer, with 34 goals for them, was the top scorer of the season. However, they were relegated in the 1998–99 season, becoming one of the 42 teams that were relegated as the Premier League champions.

Right after two seasons, they were promoted again in the 2000-01 season, but they were relegated yet once again, and that too in the same season. Unfortunately, they have not returned to the Premier League since then.

4. Arsenal FC - 3 titles

The London Giants Arsenal are one of the most famous football clubs on planet earth. They have won the title 3 times in the years 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2003-04.

They were the first club to create Premier League history by maintaining a 38-game unbeaten streak to win the title in 2003-04.

In domestic football, Arsenal has won 13 league titles, a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, and 17 FA Community Shields, but they haven't won a single European title yet.

Read Also: The Invincibles: 8 times a football team won their league undefeated

3. Chelsea FC - 5 titles

Another London club, Chelsea, is on this list, and there is no doubt why they are the best London Club in the Premier League. They won the title 5 times in the years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2014-15, and 2016-17.

The Blues won their first Premier League title under the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho, who completely changed the face of this London Club alongside Roman Abramovich, who was the Chelsea owner at that time.

They have also won the Champions League 2 times, alongside 2 Europa League titles. 

2. Manchester City - 8 titles

Manchester City, the Blue side of Manchester, are the reigning champions of England and Europe. This team have won the title 7 times in the years 2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

In the 2023-24 season, Manchester City became the first club to win the Premier League for a record fourth consecutive season. No side in English football history had ever won the top-flight more than three years back-to-back.

They are the second Club after Manchester United to complete the three-pit in the Premier League and win the European treble.

The club has won nine league titles, seven FA Cups, eight League Cups, six FA Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Read Also | Barcelona 2008/09 vs Man City 2022/23 - which Pep Guardiola treble team is better?

1. Manchester United - 13 titles

The team with the most Premier League Titles is Manchester United, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. They are the most successful team in the English Premier League and also the most famous English Club on the Entire Planet Earth. United were also the first-ever team to win the Premier League.

They were the first English club to ever win the European treble, and that remained a record until Manchester City finally matched it in the 2022-23 season. Manchester United won the titles in 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2012-13.

Read Also | 15 most successful football clubs in England

They have also won the most number of trophies in England, and that happened because of the Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. Sir Alex is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football

Leeds United and Burnley have secured promotion to the Premier League for the next season after confirming the top places in the EFL Championship this season on Monday. 

WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!!! pic.twitter.com/iyGtdHe8nI

— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 21, 2025

Leeds, who last played in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, will return to the top flight after beating Stoke City by 6-0. Joel Piroe scored four goals for Daniel Farke's Whites to have a chance to secure the automatic promotion. 

Read Also | 20 Biggest Premier League Wins in History

Piroe is now leading the race for the Championship Golden Boot with 19 goals, two ahead of his next competitor, Norwich City's Borja Sainz.

Burnley beat Sheffield United by 2-1

But Leeds needed Sheffield United to drop points at Turf Moor against Burnley later. Josh Brownhill's first-half brace was enough for Burnley to secure an easy 2-1 win over the Blades as both Clarets and the Whites confirmed their Premier League return. 

Burnley (W19 D11) are now just the second team in Championship history to go 30 consecutive games without losing after Reading (33) between August 2005 and February 2006.

Burnley, who played in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season, will return to the Premier League after a gap of one season. This means that this would be the third time Burnley head coach Scott Parker has secured promotion with a Championship side. Parker had taken Fulham to the Premier League in 2019/20 and AFC Bournemouth in 2021/22.

With Leeds' promotion, the Premier League will see the return of Daniel Farke, who coached Norwich City for 49 games in the top flight in two stints in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Read Also | 15 most successful football clubs in England

Championship points table with two matches to go

Which other team can get the promotion?

Teams finishing third to sixth in the Championship points table will compete in the playoffs, before the mega final at Wembley Stadium. The winner of the final will finish in third place to earn a promotion to the Premier League alongside Leeds United and Burnley FC.

The Champions League was earlier called the European Cup, and it started in 1955, and the first winner was Real Madrid. For the next 5 years, Real Madrid did not let anyone get close to the trophy.

Since then, 23 teams have won the glory, with Manchester City being the most recent one. As we get close to another UEFA Champions League final, we take a look at the Champions League winners list since 1965.

The Champions League winners list since 1955/56 is:

1956 - Real Madrid
1957 - Real Madrid
1958 - Real Madrid
1959 - Real Madrid
1960 - Real Madrid
1961 - Benfica
1962 - Benfica
1963 - AC Milan
1964 - Inter Milan
1965 - Inter Milan
1966 - Real Madrid
1967 - Celtic
1968 - Manchester United
1969- AC Milan
1970- Feyenoord
1971 - Ajax
1972 - Ajax
1973 - Ajax
1974 - Bayern
1975 - Bayern
1976 - Bayern
1977 - Liverpool
1978 - Liverpool
1979 - Nottingham Forest
1980 - Nottingham Forest
1981 - Liverpool
1982 - Aston Villa
1983 - Hamburger SV|
1984 - Liverpool
1985 - Juventus FC
1986 - Steaua București
1987 - FC Porto
1988 - PSV
1989 - AC Milan 
1990 - AC Milan
1991 - Red Star Belgrade
1992 - Barcelona
1993 - Olympique de Marseille
1994 - AC Milan
1995 - Ajax
1996 - Juventus FC
1997 - Borussia Dortmund
1998 - Real Madrid
1999 - Manchester United
2000 - Real Madrid
2001 - Bayern 
2002 - Real Madrid
2003 - AC Milan
2004 - Porto
2005 - Liverpool
2006 - Barcelona
2007 - AC Milan
2008 - Manchester United
2009 - Barcelona
2010 - Inter Milan
2011 - Barcelona
2012 - Chelsea FC
2013 - Bayern Munich
2014 - Real Madrid
2015 - Barcelona
2016 - Real Madrid
2017 - Real Madrid
2018 - Real Madrid
2019 - Liverpool
2020 - Bayern Munich
2021 - Chelsea FC
2022 - Real Madrid
2023 - Manchester City
2024 - Real Madrid

Let's have a look at the teams with the most trophies since 1955/56: 

Real Madrid x 15
AC Milan x 7
Bayern x 6 
Liverpool FC x 6
FC Barcelona x 5
Ajax x 4
Inter x 3
Manchester United x 3
Juventus x 2 
Benfica x 2
Nottingham Forest  x 2
Porto x 2
Chelsea x 3
Celtic x 1
Hamburger SV x 1
Steaua București x 1 
Olympique de Marseille x 1
Borussia Dortmund x 1
Feyenoord x 1
Aston Villa x 1
PSV x 1
Red Star Belgrade x 1
Manchester City x 1

The second-leg matchdays of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final ties have gifted us some memorable UCL nights through four of the best matches this season.

Best performance? ⭐#UCL pic.twitter.com/1aI2lUemcp

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 17, 2025

Aston Villa came back from trailing to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 at home, whereas Dortmund defeated Barcelona 3-1, but both sides were knocked out on aggregate.

Arsenal kept their UCL unbeaten streak against Real Madrid intact, beating them 2-1 in the second leg, advancing to the semis. Inter Milan also shared the spoils with Bayern Munich in a 2-2 draw, but sealed their passage to the semi-finals.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-finals: Everything you need to know

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final Second Leg Round Up

Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain (AGG 4-5)

Playing at their home, Villa Park, Aston Villa did not get off to a good start, letting in two goals in 30 minutes, through the PSG full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.

Paris Saint-Germain dominated the first half, despite ending it at 2–1 as Youri Tielemans pulled one back. The second half, though, was a Villa fairy tale, netting two more goals from McGinn and Konsa and hunting for the third. Marco Asensio, late on the field, promptly made his mark, nearly scoring against his parent club.

A @ChampionsLeague campaign to remember 👏 pic.twitter.com/TcQRFgGk0n

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 16, 2025

Unfortunately, they never did achieve that goal they required, and PSG fired into the semis with a slender lead, but winning 5-4 on aggregate.

Read Also | Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final 2nd leg Highlights | Villa earn a heroic win in a chilling clash; PSG are through to the semis| FT AVL 3-2 PSG (AGG 4-5)

Borussia Dortmund 3-1 FC Barcelona (AGG 3-5)

The Guirassy hat-trick could not keep this mercurial Borussia Dortmund side out. Even though FC Barcelona seemed all at sea, making mistake after mistake that we did not witness in last week's match, they were still able to keep them at bay.

Four teams left. Barça’s one of them. pic.twitter.com/8y623imepZ

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 15, 2025

They did not really begin to play like their own team until Pedri came onto the field in the later stages. Other notable players in this game were De Jong holding in the midfield and Szczesny playing like he’s in his prime. However, a Bensebaini own goal kept Barca on a two-goal cushion to safely guide them through to the semis.

Read Also | Borussia Dortmund vs FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final: Barcelona qualify for the semis after six years despite losing the second leg

Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal (AGG 1-5)

"Remontada," a term that was heard being uttered repeatedly again and again with this Real Madrid team, mostly from Bellingham. However, Arsenal crushed their dream of a magical comeback with a 2-1 victory in the return leg at Bernabeu.

Arsenal performed fantastically, and Arteta is worthy of all the accolades for the display set out away at the Bernabéu. Rice performed masterfully; he was all over the pitch, marking every pass; no one was penetrating him.

Ninety long minutes at the Bernabeu, and we heard you all game long.

Thank you, Gooners ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Oauif8UmBB

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 16, 2025

Bukayo Saka failed to convert an early penalty due to a marvellous save from Courtois. However, he redeemed himself with the opening goal in the 65th minute, but it was canceled out after Vinicius scored the equalizer only two minutes later.

Gabriel Martinelli netted the winner in injury time, leading Arsenal to another win against Real Madrid and keeping their unbeaten record against Los Blancos in the UCL intact.

Read Also | Real Madrid vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final: Arsenal knock Madrid out to qualify for the semis after 16 years

Inter Milan 2-2 Bayern Munich (AGG 4-3)

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 has delivered the finest and most entertaining football in the quarter-final round that concluded last night.

Only four teams are now alive on the way to Munich, where the UCL 2024-25 Final will be played on the first of June to lift the beautiful Champions League trophy.

Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain have survived the obstacles on the way to seal their passage to the UCL 2024-25 Semi-finals.

These teams will battle it out for their place in the finals, as we can expect nothing short of absolute dramas, thrilling battles, and the extraordinary artistry of football at its very best.

Who is going to Munich? 🤔#UCL pic.twitter.com/V5THok5kgP

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 16, 2025

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-final Ties

• SF1: Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain
• SF2: FC Barcelona vs Inter Milan

Which tie are you looking forward to most? 🤔#UCL pic.twitter.com/Y0Tmva9rzO

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 16, 2025

Schedule

• First Leg: April 30 - May 1, 2025
• Second Leg: May 7-8, 2025

Fixtures

• Semi-final 1 Leg 1: Arsenal vs PSG (Emirates Stadium, 30 April, 12:30 AM IST)
• Semi-final 2 Leg 1: Barcelona vs Inter (Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, 1 May, 12:30 AM IST)
• Semi-final 1 Leg 2: PSG vs Arsenal (Parc des Princes, 8 May, 12:30 AM IST)
• Semi-final 2 Leg 2: Inter vs Barcelona (San Siro, 7 May, 12:30 AM IST)

Teams

Arsenal

Apart from a 1-0 defeat at Inter on Matchday 4, Arsenal's performance in the league phase was almost flawless. Based on the tournament's second-best defence, the goals began flowing more easily at the opposite end following the 5-1 away triumph over Sporting CP, followed by 3-0 home victories over Monaco and GNK Dinamo.

They maintained that form throughout their knockout stage campaign as their round of 16 campaign started with an impressive 9-3 aggregate win over PSV.

However, their best performance of the tournament so far was a memorable 3-0 quarter-final first-leg win at home against Real Madrid, before finishing off the job 2-1 at the Bernabéu to gain an astonishing 5-1 aggregate win over the defending champions and advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 2008/09.

FC Barcelona

After Barcelona started the season losing at Monaco, not even the most ardent fan would have bet on seven convincing victories in their next league phase games. 

The Catalan club and their new coach, Hansi Flick, have impressed not just with the wins but with the fluid, attacking football they have been playing. A nine-goal carnival in Lisbon against Benfica on Matchday 7 will be etched in memory forever, while a hard-fought round of 16 tie against the same rivals indicates this Barca team can win slenderly when it needs to. 

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal later showed their class in the return with starring displays to cement qualification, and the pair were back on the scoresheet in the breathtaking 4-0 victory over Dortmund in their quarter-final first leg, which provided them with the buffer needed to hold on to a 3-1 loss in the return leg.

Inter Milan

Simone Inzaghi's Inter Milan have made themselves one of Europe's top performers in recent times and asserted their solidity by having allowed just one goal in eight league phase fixtures prior to posting yet another shutout in Round of 16 first-leg triumph at Feyenoord, extending to go ahead 4-1 on aggregate.

Despite the objectives not coming in the league phase (four 1-0 wins) – a reflection on Serie A where the Nerazzurri had scored 55 in their opening 21 matches – they knocked out Feyenoord clinically before a memorable display at Munich secured a 2-1 first-leg victory of their quarter-final. 

It was chilling at times, but they scraped over the line with a 2-2 draw against an adamant Bayern at the Stadio San Siro to complete the business.

Paris Saint-Germain

PSG could not manage top speed during the league phase. Though victories over Girona and Salzburg strengthened their bid, their quest was plagued with danger. Luis Enrique's team did not struggle to create chances, but turning them into results proved to be their undoing until the miraculous 4-2 comeback against Manchester City. 

Following a dominating elimination of home opponents Brest in the play-offs for qualification to the knockout phase, that very same lack of clinical cutting edge was on display once again as Paris squandered many opportunities in a 1-0 first leg round of 16 loss to Liverpool.

But they buried deep to pick up at Anfield, coming back 1-0 on the evening previous to remain composed to win on penalties, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the man of the day with two phenomenal saves. Italian goalkeeper was key once again as they made their way to the semi-finals, making some important saves in the 3-2 loss to Aston Villa in the return leg, which came after 3-1 first-leg victory at Parc des Princes.