Yash Mani

N’Golo Kante Called a ‘Cheater’ by Christian Pulisic – What He Really Meant

Chelsea, Christian Pulisic, N'Golo Kante

Life in London hasn’t been the easiest for Christian Pulisic. The American has struggled for minutes so far this season under former gaffer Graham Potter. He’d be hoping for a change of fortunes in the upcoming weeks, under caretaker manager Bruno Saltor.

Shortly after the announcement of Potter’s departure, ESPN released a clip from an interview with Pulisic, where Captain America was asked to describe his Chelsea teammates in a rapid-fire round. Pulisic had some interesting answers in store.

How Did Pulisic Describe His Teammates?

Starting with Joao Felix, the first word that came to Pulisic’s mind as an elucidation for the Portuguese loanee was “acrobatic.”

Renowned for his agility and high speed, Raheem Sterling is one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and thus Pulisic calling him “quick” makes sense.

Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising description on this list was that of Mason Mount. Pulisic tagged the England international as a “legend.”

3 goals and 2 assists in the 23 matches Mount has featured for Chelsea so far this season has seen the 24-year-old slowly turn into an outcast for the fans of the Blues. He’s been linked to a move away from the London club this summer.

https://twitter.com/mohauwalcityzen/status/1642900260266688513?t=Wee5j7Sg5xbeV3nLCxnpLw&s=19

Ironically, Pulisic himself regretted calling him a legend mere seconds later (more on that below).

Next on the list was Chelsea’s 107 million winter acquisition Enzo Fernandez. The World Cup’s young player of the tournament ran the show from the midfield for Argentina in Qatar and has been among the few bright spots for Chelsea so far this season.

The former Benfica man has transformed the Chelsea midfield in the absence of N’Golo Kante, and few know this better than Enzo’s Chelsea teammate Pulisic. “Elegant as well as Bull” was how the USMNT international described Enzo. Can’t say there’s a better description for the Argentine out there.

Pulisic had to come up with another iteration of the word “legend” to describe his Chelsea captain Thiago Silva.

Even at the age of 38, Thiago has been flawless for Chelsea nearly every time he’s been fielded this season. The Blues’ fanbase wouldn’t shy away from calling the Brazilian a club legend, and Pulisic regretted using up the word legend to describe Mason Mount earlier. “Legendary” was the description used by the 24-year-old described for Silva.

Kepa was the next name in the rapid-fire, as Pulisic dubbed the Spanish as “one of the best shot-stoppers”. With the way the Chelsea #1 has stepped up in the absence of Edouard Mendy this season, we can’t disagree with Pulisic’s description of Kepa.

“Cheater” was the word used by Chelsea number 10 to describe N’Golo Kante. This was a throwback to the 2018 World Cup held in Moscow when the France supporters came up with the chant “He’s a cheater, N’Golo Kante” after the midfielder’s stellar performance against Argentina in the Round of 16.

“Captain America” seemed to be at a loss of creativity by the time Ben Chilwell’s name came around. “Lefty” was the word Pulisic used to describe the Chelsea left back.

In a rather bland fashion, “King” was the word Pulisic used to describe the Croatian midfielder, Mateo Kovacic.

Chelsea’s other €100 million winter acquisition Mykhaylo Mudryk was the last name in the rapid-fire round. Arriving from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, Mudryk’s raw pace is his biggest asset, and his Chelsea teammate Christian Pulisic knows it the best.

https://twitter.com/fortunemiles123/status/1642896147470581763?t=bahp9J-Ui6_g931UHbUCEA&s=19

Amusingly, “He’s just fast” were the words uttered by Pulisic while describing his 22-year-old teammate. Fans online weren’t sure of how to react to that.