N'Golo Kanté received a specific instruction from France head coach Didier Deschamps to stop Lionel Messi at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

What happened?

Former France captain Hugo Lloris has revealed the particular instructions given to midfielder N'Golo Kante by head coach Didier Deschamps in order to deal with Lionel Messi at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Argentine maestro had endured a tough run in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, scoring a single goal against Nigeria. La Albiceleste had also struggled to find their way into the knockout stage, barely scraping through as group runners-up with a win, a draw, and a loss. Conversely, France eased into the knockout round with two wins and a draw. The two sides were drawn to face each other in the Round of 16.

Why it matters for N'Golo Kanté

Much of the pre-game talk centred around how France would stop Messi, who was still regarded as the biggest threat despite his underwhelming tournament up to that point. The onus of stopping the 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner fell on Kante, who was widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in football at the time. Lloris has now revealed Deschamps' specific instructions given to his ever-smiling teammate. In an appearance on the Rio Meets podcast hosted by ex-Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, the 39-year-old shotstopper said: "There was a specific instruction from Didier Deschamps to N’Golo Kante. He always had to stay in the perimeter of Lionel Messi. Kante had to try and affect Messi's game. It's really hard but N'Golo at that time, he could run a lot and (he was) a complete team player. So he dealt (with the challenge) really well. We managed to defend well. But then again, if you give Messi a little space, he will find the pass or the way to dribble. It's too hard to play against him."

What comes next?

France won the game 4-3 and went on to lift the 2018 FIFA World Cup title, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final. While Lloris has retired from international duty, Kante is still a part of the French squad that has reached the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.