The 1998 World Cup winner says Kante’s ability to read the game and intercept is almost unrivaled.
Kante is receiving a lot of praises since helping Chelsea to their second Champions League trophy in last month.
The former Leicester City man is widely known as the best defensive midfielder in the world since his rise to prominence during his days at the King Power Stadium.
The hype around Kante somewhat fizzled out in recent seasons due to his injury records and being played out of position at Stamford Bridge.
The 30-year-old seemed to have reestablished himself as the best player in his position with his recent performances in the just ended season.
His masterclass displays in the Champions League has forced people to tip him for this year’s Ballon d’Or and Henry has added his voice to the many who are currently praising the 2018 World Cup winner.
“Listen, you notice certain guys because they score and grab the headlines,” Henry told Rio Ferdinand’s Presents FIVE YouTube channel.
“But I rarely see a player who arrives before you ball. Like, he already knows the ball is going to land there. Sometimes he arrives before the ball and I’m like, “how does he do that?!”
“He reads the game to be able to intercept the ball without fouling or tackling most of the time. He arrives at the same time as the ball, sometimes earlier.
“The amount of times he turns a counter-attack for his opponent to a counter-attack for his team… You are building and suddenly he gets the ball and you’re in trouble. So many times!”
Henry added on Kante: “So many times you see him getting the ball back and soon after it’s a goal for Chelsea.
“The capacity he has to read the game and see where the ball is going, sometimes he gets there before the ball!
“It’s not guessing. When they say a striker smells the goal, it’s the same with Kante. He knows exactly where the ball is going and he can read the pass and the pattern of play.”
