kante may back out the remaining season due to CORONAVIRUS fear

N'Golo Kante is the shy, unassuming World Cup winner with a tragic backstory... he has every right to sit out the season over his coronavirus fears, and has the backing of Chelsea's top brass

• N'Golo Kante has opted out of a return to training due to coronavirus fears
• The Chelsea midfielder has had health and injury problems in the past
• Kante lost his brother to a heart attack a few weeks before winning World Cup 
• He prefers to keep a low profile off the pitch amid his glorious success on it 

The enduring image of N'Golo Kante in the wake of France's second World Cup triumph came not in the pouring rain of Moscow. 

Nothing amid the tears and ticker-tape of Luzhniki Stadium would resonate like the party in Paris a few weeks later. 

Following that 4-2 victory over Croatia, the Stade de France enjoyed a homecoming bash for Didier Deschamps' victorious side. The night began with a 2-1 win over Holland. From there, one by one, the players were brought back on to the pitch. 

N'Golo Kante with the World Cup trophy after France's victory over Croatia in Moscow in 2018

As 'numero treize' stepped through the smoke, he turned to salute the crowd. He gave a thumbs up and then tapped the top of the glistening trophy. 

The midfielder looked sheepish, an almost embarrassed smile stretched across his face as he wandered through a gauntlet of high-fives, into the arms of Deschamps and towards his team-mates. 

Minutes later, he was hoisted on to the shoulders of Benjamin Mendy and Blaise Matuidi as the Stade de France serenaded their midfielder with one of the anthems of that golden summer. 'N'Golo, N'Golo, Kante!'

Kante lifts the trophy aloft alongside Paul Pogba, with a sheepish expression on his face