Olise set the World Cup assist record and scored none. In four games under Zidane he has four goals.
Michael Olise left the World Cup with a record seven assists and no goals at all; four games into Zinedine Zidane's France, he has four goals and the attack runs through him.
Michael Olise came off the bench on 5 October with France level at 1-1 against Belgium, and finished with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win at the Stade de France. 12
It was Zinedine Zidane's first home win as France coach, and afterwards his verdict on Olise ran to a single line: "What he's doing is just exceptional." 3
The World Cup he leaves behind
At the 2026 World Cup, Olise made seven goals and scored none from 20 attempts. Seven assists in a single men's tournament is a record, one past Pelé's six in 1970. France finished fourth. 34
With Kylian Mbappé injured and Ousmane Dembélé out of form, France's attack has moved to him. 3
Four games under Zidane
Zidane took over from Didier Deschamps after the tournament, and Olise has played in all four of his Nations League matches. He set up Mbappé's goal in a 1-0 win in Türkiye, then scored an 88th-minute solo winner in Belgium. 35
Against Italy on 2 October he put France ahead with a strike from distance, in a game that finished 1-1. The two goals and the assist against Belgium took him to four goals and two assists in four matches — six of the seven France have scored under Zidane. 36
Zidane won the 1998 World Cup as a France player. He is now building an attack around Olise, Rayan Cherki and Désiré Doué, who are 24, 23 and 21. 37
The long way to the No 11
Olise was born in Hayes, west London, to a French-Algerian mother and a Nigerian father. England, Nigeria and Algeria all had a claim on him; he chose France. 8
Chelsea released him at 14 after seven years in their academy, and Manchester City let him go too. Reading signed him at 16, Crystal Palace paid an £8m release clause for him in 2021, and Bayern Munich about £50m in 2024. 8
The quiet one
He barely celebrates, avoids interviews, loves chess, and has no boot or kit deal. His primary school sports teacher remembers a boy who scored and walked straight back to the halfway line. 8
What comes next
France lead their Nations League group with 10 points from four games, three clear of Italy, and still play Italy and Türkiye in November. 6 Olise is on the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist; the ceremony is in London on 26 October. 9
Quote of the Day
"It's a collective effort, too. He [Zidane] brings in ideas, we follow them — we've done that well over the last four matches, we're going to continue like this." — Michael Olise 10
References
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