Overshadowing N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante is considered the best defensive midfielder in the world. In few matches, the player on Chelsea's payroll is inferior to his opponent. However, in the France 2-2 draw with Portugal in the early morning of June 24, N'Golo Kante really fell behind his junior Renato Sanches.
According to Squawka's statistics, Renato Sanches had 95 touches, successfully completing 69 passes with an accuracy rate of 93%. Of these, the Portuguese midfielder had 10 passes in the opponent's final third. In addition, Renato Saches had 3 successful breakthroughs, creating an opportunity and launching 1 shot.
Not only did Renatos Sanches do a good job of attacking, they also excelled in defense. He won 9 duels, successfully recovered 8 - all of which were the highest among the players on the pitch. In addition, he had 3 successful tackles.
N'Golo Kante rarely lost to anyone, but in this match alone, the French star was "inferior" to his juniors. The saying: "70% of the earth is the country, the remaining 30% is N'Golo Kante" was no longer true in this match. 30% of that belongs to the 23-year-old Portuguese player.
In the 2-4 loss to Germany, Portugal's midfield showed confusion under the pressure of the opponent. The combination between Danilo and William Carvalho did not bring the desired effect, one was too weak, the other was too rigid, they did not create coverage and safety for the home team.
Right from the match against Germany, Sanches were put on the field in the middle of the second half, helping the home team play much more solidly. He also almost scored a super shot into Manuel Neuer's net with a shot that touched the post. Against France, coach Fernando Santos boldly used him, combining with Danilo and Moutinho in midfield.
Fernando Santos's trust has been rewarded. Renato Sanches helped Portugal create a balance in both attack and defense, the premise of helping them get the necessary 2-2 draw, to win a ticket to continue. Portugal continue to hope to successfully defend their championship despite having previously lived in the fearful moments of being eliminated early.
The golden boy finds himself
Renato Sanches emerged when he won a domestic double with Benfica in the 2015 2016 season. Thanks to that, he was called up to the Portuguese national team for EURO 2016 when he was just over 18 years old, becoming the youngest player of the team to participate in this playground.
The midfielder born in 1997 played very steadily when playing alongside his seniors. He showed incredible bravery when scoring 1 goal during the official match, successfully completing his penalty shootout in the round of 16 against Poland, contributing greatly to the team's progress. The EURO 2016 championship is a worthy reward for this young star.
Bayern Munich quickly signed Sanches before EURO 2016 for €35 million, with a side clause and a contract worth up to €80 million. This deal is considered a smart investment as Sanches played very well at EURO, then won the Golden boy title - for the best young player in Europe.
However, at Bayern Munich, Renato Sanches has disappeared and is lost in the German star squad. Even when he was loaned to Swansea City, he could not find his form. It was not until he moved to Lille (France) in August 2019 with a 4-year contract that Sanches truly revived. He was an important factor in helping Lille win the French championship in the 2020-2021 season, turning PSG's dominance over.
Thanks to that excellent form, Sanches has been called back to the Portuguese national team to participate in EURO 2020. He is on the journey to affirm his self-worth, to complete the historic goal with his team.
