A video clip showing N’Golo Kante holding the crutches of Ismael Bennacer as both men perform the Muslim pilgrimage of hajj has gone viral.
Kante, who is a French Muslim of Malian descent, has recently signed for Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad. Algerian midfielder Bennacer was injured at the end of last season while playing with AC Milan.
Kante's holding Bennacer’s crutches as the Algerian is pushed along in a wheelchair was seen by some of the video's viewers as a testament to the atmosphere of humbleness and equality that hajj is supposed to represent.
Al-Ittihad signed World Cup winner Kante on a three-year deal worth £86.2 million earlier this month. Bennacer is currently recuperating from a tear in his cruciate ligament.
This year’s annual hajj pilgrimage drew 1.8 million pilgrims.