Chelsea'sN'Golo Kantéhas confessed that he came close to having a career in rugby before he started to play football, according to reports in theSunday Times.
The Frenchman has had an astonishing rise to fame having formed part of the Leicester City side that shocked the footballing world last season when they won the Premier League title.
After a successful European Championships with his national side in the summer,Kantémade a £32m move to Stamford Bridge and his impact on Antonio Conte's side has been hailed as one of the reasons why the Blues sit seven points clear at the top of the table.
But whilst the 25-year-old continues to impress in his defensive midfield position,Kantéhas revealed that his life could have been very different had one his old school teachers not told him to try another sport.
He said:When I began school we started swimming, rugby, football, athletics and basketball.
5ft 6in N'Golo Kante could have been a rugby player after he was spotted by a scout https://t.co/FOs63kcMaC pic.twitter.com/ihcQ76rdL8
We did rugby, I tried to tackle the man and my teacher said, ˜When you were at the tournament the scout from the club said you have good spirit, good condition, maybe you can play rugby'.
In the end the teacher said to my family, ˜Maybe it would be good for N'Golo to do some sport� and my choice was to play football.�
Although the Frenchman is unlikely to have many regrets considering the way his career is currently going, even he will have been surprised by his meteoric rise to fame in the last two years.
N'Golo Kante might just be the world's most down-to-earth footballer https://t.co/ApX7dM3Wfo pic.twitter.com/8tbGUjcPZ4
And whilst his transfer value may have yet risen even higher than the £32m Chelsea paid for him back in August,Kantédemonstrated his modest side when he admitted that he still drives a mini, unlike his teammates who choose to spend their multi-million pound salaries on top of the range sports cars.
The France international added:I've never been someone who loves a car. My Mini, for the beginning, was good to learn to drive on the left. I got it in Leicester and I still have it now.�