Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal are the two favorites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or. However, some have suggested France’s Kylian Mbappé as a worthy candidate after strong individual performances for Real Madrid and France.
The irony? Mbappé might not even be Les Bleus’ best player.
Michael Olise stole the show during France’s latest round of UEFA Nations League matches. The Bayern Munich winger produced a masterclass off the bench against Belgium, assisting Ryan Cherki’s goal to put France ahead before
scoring a brace to secure a 4-1 victory. Olise also scored the winner in a 1-0 reverse-fixture victory against the Red Devils, netted a stunning free kick to earn a point against Italy, and provided the assist for Mbappé in a 1-1 draw against Türkiye.
It would not be a stretch of the imagination to call Olise France’s best player—a sentiment shared by former France, PSG, and Monaco midfielder Jérôme Rothen.
“Olise is a magician,” Rothen said on an episode of Rothen s’enflamme (via @iMiaSanMia). “He has something that nobody else has. We saw how he changed the game when he came on yesterday, which shows how important he is for this team. He’s our leader, our best player. His technique is obvious, but what makes him exceptional is his collective mindset and the effort he makes for the team. There’s Olise and Yamal right now – both are magicians. I even think Olise is superior because he makes more efforts for the team and is physically more dominant. He’s a gem and we should take care of him. I hope he doesn’t get injured.”
At his current level of performance and consistency, it is a real wonder why Olise’s Ballon d’Or campaign is not gaining more meaningful traction.
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