Kante almost didn't make it as a footballer after being rejected from several professional clubs at the age 16. He had unsuccessful trials at Amiens, Sochaux, Rennes, Lorient and AS Beauvais before Boulogne came along.

They said that "he was too small" and that "he lacked confidence", but football needs to improve at rewarding its quiet introverts, who can easily be lost to the game, with the brash and arrogant rising to the top. 
Extract from
http://m.goal.com/s/en/news/8/main/2017/03/03/33256072/forget-zlatan-sanchez-and-diego-costa-kante-is-the-best