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Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has said that he is proud to see N'Golo Kante claim the eighth spot in the Ballon d'Or standings for the calendar year.
Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo clinched the individual accolade for the fifth time in his career after sealing a Champions League and La Liga double with Real Madrid last term.
Despite being a defensive midfielder by trade, Kante finished as the highest-placed Premier League players in the ranking, and Conte admits that it is 'not easy' for a player of Kante's calibre to be recognised in the top 10.
"To finish eighth in the Ballon d'Or table for a player like Kante, with his type of characteristics, it's not simple, it's not easy. To finish eighth for N'Golo is a great result," he told reporters, via ESPN.
"I'm proud for him with this great result. All the people understood the capacity of this player. He's a fantastic player. For me in his role he's one of the best in the world."
Meanwhile, teammates Eden Hazard finished only 19th on the list, and Conte has insisted that the Belgian must secure more silverware with the Blues in order to earn better recognition.
Kante has won the Premier League title with Leicester and Chelsea respectively in each of the last two seasons, but the Blues require plenty of luck this time around if they are to overcome an 11-point deficit to leaders Manchester City, who are unbeaten after 15 games into the campaign.
Written by Sri Aswin
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