Michael Olise is one of France’s standout players at the World Cup. This makes the comments from a former national team player—who apparently has only just taken notice of the Bayern star—all the more surprising.
Michael Olise has had an outstanding World Cup so far. With five assists, the FC Bayern attacker is currently the tournament’s leading assist provider and is one of the French national team’s key players.
This makes the comments from former French national team player Julien Escudé all the more surprising. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS, the former defender expressed genuine surprise at Olise’s development.
“He came out of nowhere. France did have him on their radar, but he’s a player who still surprises us because he was born and raised in England, outside the French youth system,” Escudé explained.
This assessment is likely to surprise many observers, however. Although Olise was born and trained in London, the 24-year-old played for every level of the French youth national teams. He finally made his senior national team debut in September 2024—shortly after his transfer from Crystal Palace to FC Bayern. Prior to that, he had won the silver medal with France at the Olympic Games under Thierry Henry.
Olise is set to face Spain with France
Escudé also praised Olise’s defensive work: “In France, there was a lot of talk about the potential gap between attack and defense, about the team splitting into two parts. But the efforts of Ousmane Dembélé and Olise, who tirelessly help win the ball back, also benefit the defense.”
Following the convincing quarterfinal victory over Morocco, all eyes are now on the semifinals. There, France will face Spain on Tuesday evening—and once again, many hopes rest on Michael Olise.
