France superstar Michael Olise’s meteoric rise has been something to behold. The former Crystal Palace man went from being an exciting addition to a crowded Bayern Munich winger group, to Bundesliga rookie of the year, to oh boy was that first season not a fluke…to hero for Les Bleus at the World Cup.
“Yes, Michael, as everyone can see, he’s a star,” France and Arsenal defender William Saliba said at the press conference ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup match against Iraq (as captured via @iMiaSanMia).
Just don’t build a statue of him — yet. He’s merely on the trajectory, to being one of the all-timers.
“Of course, he’s still got a long way to go before he can be compared to [Michel] Platini or [Zinedine] Zidane,” Saliba added. “But in any case, it’s a pleasure to have him in our team. He’s a player who can do everything and who can break the deadlock in all sorts of situations. I hope that one day he’ll be in that league. But for now it’s a bit too early.”
What sets Olise apart? Not only his talent but his savvy: knowing when to break out everything in his skills locker and also knowing when to keep it simple.
“Technically, he’s world-class. He can shoot, he can dribble, he can pass. He always plays the right ball. He’s not the sort of player who’ll try to dribble past everyone. When he needs to pass, he passes. When he needs to dribble, he dribbles,” Saliba concluded. “It’s a pleasure to have him with us, and it’s a pleasure to watch him play.”
France vs. Iraq kicks off on Monday at 5:00 PM EDT.
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