Thierry Henry Explains Why Michael Olise Is More Important Than Kylian Mbappe for France

Thierry Henry Hails Michael Olise as France’s ‘Most Important Player’ Ahead of Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe grabbed the headlines with a brace as France defeated Sweden 3-0 to reach the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, but Thierry Henry believes the real difference-maker was Michael Olise.

The Bayern Munich playmaker produced a dazzling display, providing two assists and controlling France’s attacking play throughout the knockout clash. His performance prompted Henry to describe Olise as the team’s most important player, even ahead of captain Mbappe.

Henry: Olise Makes France Tick

Speaking after the match, the former France striker praised Olise’s exceptional football intelligence and technical ability, recalling the time he coached him with France’s Under-21 team.

“What he does on the ball is second to none,” Henry said.

“Michael is a freak. The way he sees stuff is not the same as others. He sees everything so perfectly, so quickly. Sometimes, if you’re not on his wavelength, he gets annoyed.”

Henry added that Olise often produced moments in training that left coaches speechless.

“Sometimes he does stuff in training and you have to stop yourself from saying, ‘Wow, this guy is on another planet.'”

While acknowledging Mbappe’s remarkable goalscoring record, Henry concluded:

“MVP will always be Kylian because of his numbers, but the most important player is Michael Olise.”

Olise Pulls the Strings Against Sweden

Although Mbappe scored twice and Bradley Barcola added another goal, Olise was at the heart of almost every dangerous French attack. The 24-year-old nearly produced one of the goals of the tournament with an audacious bicycle kick that struck the post before Sweden escaped the danger.

Moments later, Olise helped create France’s opener by combining with Ousmane Dembele before Mbappe cut inside and fired home just before half-time. He added his first assist shortly after the break with a perfectly weighted through ball for Barcola, who doubled France’s advantage.

Olise completed his masterclass in the 74th minute, splitting Sweden’s defence with another incisive pass that allowed Mbappe to score his second goal of the night.

Pundits Left Impressed

Former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic praised Olise’s attempted bicycle kick, saying it would have been “the goal of the tournament” had it gone in. Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves also singled out France’s attacking stars.

“Mbappe and Olise were absolutely outrageous,” he said during Fox Soccer’s coverage.

Record-Breaking Tournament

Olise’s two assists took his tally to five at the tournament—the most by a French player in a single World Cup since records began in 1966.

He also became the first player to register five assists at a World Cup since 1994, surpassing the previous French record of three assists shared by Antoine Griezmann, Youri Djorkaeff, Dominique Rocheteau and Jean Tigana.

The performance further underlined Olise’s remarkable creativity, taking his combined assist tally for club and country this season to 31.

France will now face Paraguay in the Round of 16, with Mbappe continuing his Golden Boot chase. However, as Henry pointed out, it is Olise’s vision, passing and ability to dictate attacks that have made him arguably France’s most influential player at the tournament.