Guests at businessman Frank Khalid’s daughter’s wedding knew they would be treated to a spectacular event, but even they must have been shocked to see Chelsea superstar N’golo Kante in attendance, taking selfies with guests and getting on stage with the bride and groom.
Mr Khalid, who has a number of successful business ventures, including Elbrook Cash and Carry in Mitcham, Surrey, is good friends with Kante but wasn’t expecting him to make it to the wedding due to his footballing commitments.
"I invited him and originally he couldn’t attend because of his commitment to the French national team, but because of his injury he messaged me saying he was coming,” Mr Khalid told The Sun.
"He stayed till the end and was so nice to everyone and signed autographs and took selfies with the guests.
"My daughter's name is Henna Khalid and her husband is Raheel Malik. He (Kante) is an amazing person with a golden heart."
Mr Khalid has been a shrewd businessman for over 35 years. Remarkably, he bought his first business at the age of 15. Using his uncle as a guarantor, he got a £60,000 bank loan to buy a rundown wholesale business, which he named Elbrook Cash and Carry, that now turns over north of £60 million.
His success in the wholesale industry allowed Mr Khalid to invest in other business ventures, including buying a stake in TSG Sports agency which represents over 50 professional footballers, including Kante whom he now considers a close friend.
"My family and myself are very close to N'Golo and he was one of the first people to visit me when I had my triple bypass surgery operation in April 2018,” said the lifelong Chelsea fan, whose social media pages are adorned with selfies with almost every Chelsea player from the past 20 years.
"He made everyone happy and made my daughter's wedding even more special. I introduced him to my mum and dad. N'Golo is such a diamond as he wanted to congratulate my daughter and son-in-law on the stage.
"Love him as a player but even more as a caring person who puts others before himself. Deserves all the success he gets," Mr Khalid added on Twitter.
Mr Khalid’s passion doesn’t end with football. His love of food saw him open Chak89, a successful destination banqueting hall and restaurant located to the rear of Elbrook Cash-and-Carry, and is a hotspot for Bollywood superstars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor. And his love of films saw him buy a film studio in West London where the likes of Killing Eve and Bohemian Rhapsody were filmed.
He also has a business partnership with Hollywood heavyweight Mark Wahlberg and rapper P Diddy selling a sports water drink.
