Michael Olise’s breakout season at Bayern Munich has earned praise from across the football world, and former France international Bacary Sagna believes the winger was not far from entering the Ballon d’Or conversation.
Reflecting on Olise’s remarkable campaign, Sagna argued that Bayern Munich’s Champions League exit may have ultimately hurt the Frenchman’s chances of receiving football’s most prestigious individual award.
“I think if he had won the Champions League this season, he would have won the Ballon
d’Or. The fact that Bayern went out against Paris stopped him basically, but he’s been phenomenal this season in the league and Champions League,” Sagna told Oddschecker (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “He’s an artist on the pitch and the performances he gave to the fans this season was just amazing. But people unfortunately have a short memory and will only remember this last game against Paris, where he was not as good as he was in the other games so people started criticizing, and that will play against him (winning the Ballon d’Or). However, he has been amazing this season.
“I don’t think he will get in the top 3 of the Ballon d’Or rankings but can he win it in the next three or four years? Yes. I think Bayern had a great Champions League campaign overall. The difference was the 20 minutes [in the first leg] where Paris just battered them, and that cost them the semi-final. Also, they were very unlucky with referee decisions but that’s football.”
Whether one agrees with Sagna’s Ballon d’Or assessment or not, there is little doubt that Olise established himself among Europe’s elite attackers this season. His creativity, technical ability, and knack for producing moments of brilliance made him one of Bayern Munich’s most dangerous weapons in both domestic and European competition. Heck, if he can lead France to winning the World Cup, he could thrust himself to the top spot on the leaderboard.
At just 24-years-old, Olise still has plenty of room to grow. If this season is any indication, Sagna’s belief that the Bayern Munich star could eventually claim football’s biggest individual honor might not be far-fetched at all.
On Tuesday, Olise put in a performance so good during France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal that he was awarded FIFA’s Man of the Match. Yes, it was another feather in his cap, but will a strong World Cup be enough? Tell us in the comments below!
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