France coach Didier Deschamps is unsure about the Ballon d'Or credentials of Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante.
There's fresh calls for Kante to be considered for the prestigious award after a superb performance in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Asked about the prospect, Deschamps said on RMC via Le 10 Sport: "Kanté remains a very, very great player who potentially deserves this award."
However, as supportive as Deschamps is of his midfield ace, the Les Bleus coach is pessimistic about the chance of Kante's peers and journalists supporting his candidacy when it comes to voting for the award.
He explained, "But I don't know if it's accessible to a player who is not creative, who scores little. He can score a few goals and make a few assists but as a rule ... It happened, there were some like Fabio Cannavaro or others in my time, like Matthias Sammer.
"But as a general rule, in the majority of cases, it concerns a creative player, that is to say who is decisive."
Kante is now preparing for the Euros with France after a superb second-half of the season at Chelsea under manager Thomas Tuchel. Along with his man-of-the-match performance in the Champions League final, Kante also played a key role in Chelsea securing a top four finish and reaching the FA Cup final.
Overall this season, Kante played 48 games for Chelsea, producing three assists.
- updated June 2
