Michael Olise is virtually unstoppable right now. In France’s 4-1 victory over Belgium, the Bayern star needed just 30 minutes to become the game’s decisive player with two goals and an assist. But that’s not all: with his stellar performance, the 24-year-old set several historic records.
As reported by the statistics service Stats du Foot, Olise is the first player in the history of the French national team to record ten assists within a calendar year.
His overall record in the Équipe Tricolore jersey is also impressive. Olise now has 11 goals and 12 assists for France. No French national team player has reached this milestone faster since 1958.
Olise delivers in every game under Zidane
The Bayern star’s consistency since Zinédine Zidane took over has also been particularly impressive. Olise has been directly involved in at least one goal in all four matches so far under the new national team coach.
No French national team player before him has ever achieved this in their first four matches under a new head coach.
Against Belgium, Olise extended this streak in spectacular fashion. Zidane had initially left the 24-year-old on the bench, giving him a break after the heavy workload of the past few weeks. When France trailed 0–1 after an hour, the national team coach brought on his star attacker.
It didn’t take Olise long to take control of the game. First, in the 81st minute, he set up Rayan Cherki’s go-ahead goal. He then scored himself in the 88th minute to make it 3–1 and added his second goal in stoppage time to seal the 4–1 victory.
Historic double-double for Olise
With this performance, Olise has now reached the milestone of at least ten goals and ten assists while wearing the French national team jersey. What’s particularly remarkable is the speed with which he achieved this so-called double-double: According to Stats du Foot, no player for France has done so faster since 1958.
His recent performances show just how important Olise has become for the Équipe Tricolore. He had already scored the winning goal as a substitute in the 1-0 victory in the first match against Belgium. In the subsequent 1-1 draw against Italy, he scored on a free kick. Now, within just 30 minutes, he has directly contributed to three more goals.
Yet Olise wasn’t originally slated to play a leading role. Zidane had deliberately planned to rest his star attacker against Belgium. In the end, the Bayern Munich player needed only half an hour on the field to completely turn the game around.
For FC Bayern, his winger’s performances are also a strong sign. Olise is returning to Munich not only with plenty of confidence but also with several historic records under his belt.