Olise is growing and is starting to hit top form at the right time of the season.
Down 2-0 after the first leg, France’s hopes of progressing in the Nations League were hanging by a thread after going into halftime in the second leg drawing 0-0. The team would have to score 2 goals in the next 45 minutes and would need serious inspiration from their incredible front line. Ousmane Dembéle and Kylian Mbappe were called upon to drag France through their travails as they have done so often in the past.
In the end, however, both the Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid stars would take a backseat to Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, who scored a wonderful free kick and set up Dembéle’s aggregate equalizer.
After the match, France manager Didier Deschamps spoke about the Bayern man’s progress with the senior France national team. Olise was, after all, still just a member of the U-23s last summer as he participated in the 2024 Olympics but has been promoted to and gained confidence in the senior squad ever since he joined Bayern.
“He has a lot of qualities and has progressed a lot. He was brilliant [against Croatia]. Sometimes it takes a bit of time. But he has established a relationship with the front three (Mbappé, Dembélé, Barcola),” the 2018 World Cup winner said in comments captured by @iMiaSanMia. “I’m happy for him. This suggests more to come. He will gain confidence. He was maybe a bit more shy and reserved. But now he loosened up through what he did with Bayern Munich.”
Olise’s match winning contributions for both club and country are beginning to become more and more frequent. Truly, we are seeing the rise of an elite player.
