Timo Werner has made a surprising comparison between one of his former Chelsea teammates and Lionel Messi. The German forward believes N’Golo Kante had a similar ability to change games, despite playing a very different role on the pitch.

Werner played alongside the midfielder at Stamford Bridge and the pair won the Champions League together under Thomas Tuchel in 2021. Kante was Chelsea’s best player in the final against Manchester City and Werner has now given him the credit he deserves.

Timo Werner explains why N’Golo Kante was a ‘gamechanger’ like Lionel Messi

Everyone knows N’Golo Kante was world-class, and arguably the best ever ball-winning midfielder. He was not a prolific goalscorer or creator, but his tireless work off the ball, winning possession back and covering seemingly every blade of grass, made him invaluable.

Timo Werner experienced that first-hand during their time together at Chelsea. The former Blues striker has now explained why playing alongside Kante made such a difference, comparing his impact to Lionel Messi.

“To name one guy who gave the feeling he had no pressure was N’Golo Kante. Back in the day when I played with him, he was a World Cup winner; he was the man on the pitch,” Werner said on The Late Run.

“Sometimes, I think he only went onto the pitch to enjoy himself, not to do crazy things, but to take the ball from everyone. It was unbelievable. Playing with him was like having a 12th man on the pitch. Everyone on the team who won the Champions League will tell you that.”

That extra presence in midfield let Chelsea’s more attacking players focus on hurting opponents in the final third, knowing Kante was doing most of the defensive work behind them. His energy and ability to regain possession often made it feel Tuchel’s side had an extra player.

Werner added: “N’Golo in his prime was a gamechanger. Like Messi is a gamechanger, [Kante] was a gamechanger in a different part of the game because if you always have a guy who makes the team feel like they have one more player defensively, that’s unbelievable.”