France football team in action at FIFA World Cup 2026© AFP
It has been a sensational run of form for France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 till now as they defeated Sweden 3-0 to reach the Round of 16. Kylian Mbappe once again scored two goals while Bradley Barcola contributed with one as they cruised past their opponents. Mbappe has been the star of the team with 6 goals till now and his brace made him the joint top-scorer in this year’s competition along with Lionel Messi. However, Former French defender Willy Sagnol could not stop praising Michael Olise after he registered his fifth assist of the tournament and he even called him a top contender for the Ballon d’Or.
“Olise is the best in the world, far ahead of all other players. If he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or at the end of the year, something is seriously wrong with football,” he told BILD.
Sagnol even compared Olise to two modern greats – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – before pointing out that the French footballer has a selfless approach and priorities the team over personal numbers.
“Olise is simply a pure team player, not an individualist. For our children, there is finally a great role model,” he said.
“To put it bluntly, Olise couldn’t care less whether he scores, provides an assist or not. You can see that he doesn’t think about doing something for himself but always looks at what helps the team.”
“Zinedine Zidane was exactly the same. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated world football in the last 15 years, play a bit more for themselves and for their statistics. Nothing against Ronaldo and Messi — they are great. Olise is just a true team player,” Sagnol added.
The former French footballer also spoke about the different roles that Olise and Mbappe play for the national team.
“Mbappe is more focused on himself, on his career, on his goals. That’s why there is often a bit of criticism of him,” he said.
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