Michael Olise France Sweden Fifa World Cup 2026 Kylian Mbappe Nonchalance

Michael Olise is an introvert. The introversion is often evident, like in his interview on CBS Sports Golazo — a show where the panelists tend to be louder than the football they cover. Among the panelists were Thierry Henry, under whose coaching Olise had won the silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. It was the broadcasters’ only trick up the sleeve to unlock an unexplored, extroverted version of Olise. They failed — he didn’t have any. On offer were only diffident smiles and self-effacing nonchalance.

Only in one place could you see a different version of Olise. Not the studios, but on grass — his natural habitat. On Wednesday, he was the standout player in France’s clockwork orange, when they beat Sweden 3-0. That is, despite Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace to equal Lionel Messi’s goal tally.

In fact, he was eligible to represent as many as three nations, barring France. England, by virtue of it being his birthplace; Algeria, through his French-Algerian mother; and Nigeria, through his father. The penchant for blue, however, was always discernible. “The players I followed when I was young were French. (Zinedine) Zidane, Thierry Henry, (Franck) Ribéry. And I always went to France when I was young. It felt more natural,” Olise had said in an interview with Highsnobiety.

He went through several academies across England, including those of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, before finally making his senior debut with English second-tier side Reading. After three seasons in the Championship, Olise took the leap to the Premier League when Crystal Palace came calling. The Eagles did not have a creator more aesthetic than him at the time, but Olise would have to wait for his national team debut.

The stocks soared when he left England for the German giants, Bayern Munich. The Les Bleus debut eventually arrived in 2024, and it did not take him long to establish stature as one of France’s crucial attacking architects. Seven goals in 17 appearances coming into the World Cup. Expectedly, hopes were high. But after 45 minutes of anonymity in the campaign opener against Senegal, scepticism intensified. Is Olise fit for purpose for the big stages? The answer came in the second half, when coach Didier Deschamps asked him to play as a number 10 instead of on the flanks.

Deschamps stuck with the same setup since then, and he has his reasons for the same. France scored seven goals in their next two matches in the group stage and three more against Sweden in the Round of 32. Olise has been the provider for five of those. Growing up in England has meant that Olise’s French is not very articulate, but he speaks the language of football. That, evidently, is enough to form a formidable partnership with Mbappe. 2.7% of the total passes that France made at the New York New Jersey Stadium were from Olise to Mbappe. Overall, no one attempted as many passes as Olise’s 70.

The goals column is yet to feature his name, although he nearly broke the duck in the most spectacular fashion. In the 34th minute of the round of 32 tie, he attempted an audacious sideways bicycle kick. Jacob Widell Zetterström was well beaten, but the post came to Sweden’s rescue.

“It was a fantastic bit of skill. Unfortunately it didn’t go in, but people come to the stadium to see that kind of thing,” Mbappe said after the match. Before that, former France midfielder Patrick Viera had told L’Equipe that Olise could be a “future Ballon d’Or winner.” Henry called his ward a “freak.” At East Rutherford, he was a freak of nature.

Rohit Mundayur is a Copy Editor with the Sports Team at The Indian Express. He works with the online team and is based out of Delhi. ... Read More