Paris (France) (AFP) – A decisive pass in Turkey, a goal in Belgium: Michael Olise, repositioned by Zinédine Zidane on the right wing, his favorite position, continues to dazzle the world of football, relegating far away the memory of a dull end to the World Cup.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 08:18

Returning with a quarter of an hour to go on the lawn of the Roi-Beaudoin stadium in Brussels while the French hairdressers were doing better than resisting the Red Devils in the League of Nations, the French striker broke the deadlock with a splendid action and offered Zidane his second victory in as many matches.

"I accompanied Michael's action, I felt that he was going to start dribbling. He did an exceptional action. Then I saw the ball and I had to shoot it. It's ridiculous", declared with a broad smile the new coach of the Blues, who had run along the touchline before kicking a ball placed in front of him to express his joy.

When he was a player, Zidane was as talented on the field as he was not very expansive off it, a bit like his crack, dazzling with the ball at his feet, but regularly mocked for his nonchalance as soon as he left the field.

Holder against Italy?

Substitute against Belgium, Olise should find a starting place on Friday against Italy for Zidane's return to the Stade de France, almost 20 years after his last match in the Dionysian enclosure.

In Blue, we left the Bayern winger on a bittersweet note during the last three knockout matches where he passed away after lighting up the group stage and the round of 16 against Sweden (3-0) with his talent.

Placed as playmaker by Didier Deschamps, in a four-player attack, surrounded by Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué and behind Kylian Mbappé, Olise was one of the most prominent French people thanks to his dribbling, his passing and his silky technique.

Despite this shaky ending where he was unable to exert his influence to win a third coronation that the Blues were eyeing, Olise finished as the tournament's best passer, even establishing, with seven offerings, a record for assists in one edition.

Thierry Henry, who led him at the Paris-2024 Olympic Games which concluded in the final, was full of praise for his performances during the American World Cup.

"Phenomenon"

"Michael is a phenomenon. He has real game intelligence. This player is on another planet, he is truly apart. The MVP will always be Kylian thanks to his decisive side and his extraordinary statistics. But the most important player is Michael Olise", explained the former legend of the Blues and Arsenal on Fox Sports during the competition.

A few weeks later, Olise hit the ground running again, starting his third season at Bayern Munich. In four Bundesliga days, he has already scored four goals and provided two assists. Club statistics stand at 8 goals and 7 assists in all competitions.

The break made by Zinédine Zidane in the offensive animation of the Blues, which generated an upheaval where Kylian Mbappé is placed on the left wing, Olise on the right and Ousmane Dembélé in the axis, did not alter the effectiveness of the Bavarian.

It was he who set up Mbappé for the first goal of the Zidane era in Türkiye, before the French captain injured his knee in the action. He again therefore who with his splendid action completed the good performance of the French substitutes against Belgium. Crack is definitely back.

© 2026 AFP

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