By Julien Pretot
PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - France forward Michael Olise arrived at Bayern Munich a year ago as one of Europe's most gifted dribblers. Heading towards the World Cup, he increasingly looks like a player capable of becoming one of the tournament's defining figures.
France have no shortage of attacking talent but few players in the squad combine improvisation, control and efficiency quite like the 24-year-old, whose rise in Munich has altered his club status and place in the national team
hierarchy.
At Crystal Palace, the London-born Olise was admired for elegance and unpredictability, a left-footed winger capable of producing moments others could barely imagine.
However, at Bayern, he has learned to dominate elite matches regularly, under pressure that can suffocate less mature attacking players.
A craftsman who plays at his own tempo, capable of slowing the pace at chaotic moments before suddenly accelerating it again with a disguised pass, a feint or a change of direction, Olise has what it takes to be the star of the World Cup.
He no longer looks like a luxury winger drifting through games on inspiration alone but has become one of Bayern's focal points - a player through whom attacks increasingly breath.
France manager Didier Deschamps has traditionally been cautious with gifted attacking players, demanding balance and defensive discipline before granting complete trust, but his praise for Olise has steadily grown.
"He has a lot of ease, technically," the France coach said after one of Olise's early international appearances. "And he has the ability to make the right choices."
That decision-making may ultimately separate Olise from many other spectacular wide players.
Where Kylian Mbappe overwhelms opponents with strength and directness and Ousmane Dembele with trickery and acceleration, Olise manipulates games more subtly, drawing defenders into spaces they realise too late they should never have entered.
Former Palace manager Roy Hodgson once described Olise as possessing "special quality", while Bayern coach Vincent Kompany has praised his calmness and football intelligence.
There are still details to refine before the World Cup, and Deschamps remains obsessed with collective balance. Yet Olise increasingly appears built for tournament football.
He has the qualities modern tournaments reward most - the ability to bypass defenders one-on-one, survive pressure in tight spaces and unlock matches that are tactically paralysed.
When France arrive in North America, the man most capable of seizing the imagination may be Olise, who plays as if the game is moving half a second slower for him than for everyone else.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
