On This Day: World champion Kante was born; Ronaldo statue unveiled

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (March 29th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!

On this day in 1991 - World Cup champion N'Golo Kante was born

Kante made his senior debut at Boulogne and then spent two seasons at Caen, the latter in Ligue 1. In 2015, he joined Leicester City for a fee of £5.6 million and became an integral member of the club's first ever Premier League title in his only season at the club. 

The following year, he joined Chelsea for a reported fee of £32 million, winning the league again in his first season. He also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year and became the first outfield player to win back-to-back English league titles with different clubs since Eric Cantona in 1992 and 1993.

Kanté made his senior international debut for France in 2016. He was included in their squad that finished runners-up at that year's European Championship. Two years later, he was a key member of the French team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

On this day in 2017- Ronaldo's statue unveiled

Cristiano Ronaldo captained the Portugal national side to their first ever European Championship in the summer of 2016 and would be commemorated with his very own statue to mark the renaming of Funchal Airport in his honour.

“This is a matter of taste, so it is not as simple as it seems. What matters is the impact that this work generated. There is always the possibility of making a difference, I was prepared for all this. I used as a base some photos of Cristiano Ronaldo that I found on the internet, nothing specific. I put the photos next to me and started working on the bust”, says the designer Emanuel Santos.

How do you like the statue?

On this day in 1993 - Thorgan Hazard was born

Thorgan began his professional career at Lens in Ligue 1, and moved to Chelsea in 2012 shortly after they had signed his older brother. He never played a competitive match for Chelsea, being loaned for two years to Zulte Waregem, where he was awarded the Belgian Golden Shoe in January 2014, for the best footballer in the Belgian Pro League, and the prize for best professional football player in May 2014. He joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014, initially on loan, and made over 100 appearances for them

Having previously played at every level in the Belgian national youth team system, he was handed his first senior international cap against the United States in May 2013. He was part of the Belgian squad that came third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

On this day in 1987 - French playmaker Dimitri Payet was born

Payet was born on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, where he began his career playing for local clubs Saint-Philippe and Saint-Pierroise. In 2005, he joined FC Nantes and, after a successful 2006–07 season, joined AS Saint-Étienne on a four-year contract. In June 2011, Payet joined the defending champions Lille signing a four-year contract. He had two years there and a further two at Olympique de Marseille before moving abroad to join West Ham United. In 2017 he moved back to France to join his old team, Marseille.

Payet is a French international. From 2007 to 2008, he represented his country at under-21 level, making eleven appearances and scoring four goals. In 2010, he was called up to the senior team by manager Laurent Blanc for the first time. Payet made his international debut on 9 October 2010 in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Romania, appearing as a substitute. He was a member of the French squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2016.

On this day in 1973 - Former Gunner Marc Overmars was born

Marc Overmars is a Dutch former footballer and the current director of football at Ajax. During his footballing career, he played as a winger and was renowned for his speed and technical skills.

In 1997, Overmars joined Arsenal; his performances at the club were indifferent to begin with and attracted criticism from football pundits and fans alike. By the end of his first season, Overmars became a focal point of Arsenal's league and cup double success. He scored the winning goal against league rivals Manchester United which set his team on their way to securing the Premier League title. 

In 2000, he moved to Barcelona in a deal worth £25 million and became the most expensive player in Dutch football history. A persistent knee injury prompted Overmars to announce his retirement in 2004, but he reversed his decision in 2008 and went on to play one season for Go Ahead Eagles before retiring again. In 2012, he was named as Ajax's director of football.

Overmars represented the Netherlands national team for 11 years. He scored on his international debut in 1993 against Turkey, and was a member of the Netherlands squads for four major tournaments: the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, and 2000 and 2004 European Championships.

On this day in 1972 - Former Portugal star Rui Costa was born

Regarded by pundits as one of the greatest players of his generation, Costa usually played as an attacking midfielder, and was known in particular for his excellent technique, playmaking ability, and eye for goal from midfield. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100, as one of the 125 greatest living football players.

Nicknamed "The Maestro", Costa spent the majority of his career with Benfica in Portugal and Fiorentina and A.C. Milan in Italy. In a top-flight career spanning 17 years, he won several trophies, including one Primeira Liga title, one Taça de Portugal, one Serie A title, three Coppa Italia, one UEFA Champions League title and one UEFA Super Cup. A Portuguese international, he amassed 94 caps and scored 26 goals for A Selecção and represented the country in three UEFA European Championships and one FIFA World Cup.

29 March 2008 - A New Low For Derby County

On 29 March 2008, a 2-2 draw with Fulham guaranteed Derby County's relegation--the earliest such guarantee in the history of the Premier League.

They entered the match against Fulham with only 10 points, 17 points shy of safety. With only seven games left, Derby needed a win to preserve any hope of survival. And Fulham were ideal opponents, as they were in the relegation zone themselves, only one spot above Derby.

Derby struck first with a 10th-minute goal from Emanuel Villa, but the visiting Cottagers claimed the lead after a header from Diomansy Kamara (24') and an own-goal from Derby's Dean Leacock (78'). Villa salvaged a point for Derby with a late goal in the 80th minute, but it was too little to save their season. 

They were 19 points from safety with only six matches remaining, thus ensuring their drop from the top flight. It is the earliest in the season that any team has been mathematically relegated, breaking the previous record set by Sunderland on 12 April 2003.

And it was Derby's last point of the season. They lost all of their remaining games to finish with 11 points, the lowest points total since Stoke City finished with 17 in 1985 and a record low since the league went to three points for a win.

Moreover, Huddersfield could get relegated this weekend and match Derby’s worst ever Premier League season.

Huddersfield travel to Crystal Palace, while Burnley and Southampton - both just outside the bottom three on 30 points - play Wolves and Brighton respectively.

Should the Terriers lose and Burnley and Southampton win their games, Huddersfield will be relegated. Wins for Burnley and Southampton would move both onto 33 points, while Huddersfield would stay on 14 points - 19 points behind the two - with six Premier League games to play for the West Yorkshire club.