When the last whistle sounded on Sunday's final, France's on-field players dropped to their knees in joy. However, one stalwart of Les Bleus team would rise from the bench to celebrate his side's victory. Uncharacteristically poor against Croatia, N'Golo Kante had been substituted on the 55th minute for Steven N'Zonzi.
With France holding a slender one-goal lead, Didier Deschamps decided to remove his most consistent performer. Some would suggest it was a risky decision. Ten minutes later, the French were up 4-1. How could the manager feel Kante was struggling? Maybe it was because he had walked in his shoes.