Sky Sports EFL and Championship expert Don Goodman could not stop waxing poetic about Bayern Munich and France star Michael Olise. However, Goodman noted that it was not always a certainty that Olise was going to develop into a star.
In fact, there were some doubts about the Frenchman due to his mentality and attitude.
“Back then (in Olise’s early years), you saw his talent was crystal clear. But when you spoke to people around the game at the time, there were questions about his mentality and whether
it might hold him back. The talent was there for all to see. He has an absolute wand of a left foot that just makes things happen. He went to Crystal Palace, absolutely excelled, got his move to Bayern Munich, and now he’s one of the best players in the world,” Goodman told us exclusively via sports betting site talkSPORT Bet. “In France’s World Cup knockout game against Sweden, everyone was waxing lyrical about Kylian Mbappé because he scored a couple of goals. I thought, yes, he is amazing, but for me, the best player on the pitch was Michael Olise.
“When I was watching him at Reading, I never could have imagined that I’d be sitting here saying Michael Olise is the best player for France in a World Cup knockout match, but that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
For Goodman, Olise’s presence has been vital to the standout performance put in by Kylian Mbappé at this World Cup.
“Yes, Mbappé is a world superstar, but Olise helps to make him tick, and I don’t think he’s that far behind him. I know that might sound like an outrageous thing to say because the goalscorers always get the glory, and rightly so, if you ask me, but I just love watching Olise,” Goodman stated. “What he has become reminds me a little bit of Harry Kane. I don’t think anyone watching Kane in the Championship could have envisioned what he would go on to achieve. Kane actually struggled a bit on his early loans, whereas Olise didn’t, but you still couldn’t have predicted this stratospheric rise. Looking at him now, I would hope he’ll be a nominee for the Ballon d’Or.”
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