Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender, Gael Clichy, has tipped Michael Olise to repeat Kylian Mbappe’s feat at Russia 2018 at this 2026 World Cup scheduled to kick in North America this week.
In a special column he wrote for BBC Sports yesterday, Clichy insisted that Olise who has Nigerian ancestry has the capacity to become the star of the Les Bleus at this World Cup this summer.
According to the former City defender who is now a Division three club coach in France, “We saw it happen with Kylian Mbappe for France at the 2018 World Cup – we knew before we lifted the trophy in Russia that he was an incredible talent, but that was the time he really arrived.
“This summer, I hope another France player, Michael Olise, can do the same in the US, Canada and Mexico,” observed Clichy.
“Everyone knows Michael quite well already, of course, because he plays for Bayern Munich and we see him a lot in the Champions League.
“But this is his first World Cup and he has only played 16 games for France so far, so he is still very new on the international scene.
“Before the 2024 Olympics in Paris, I don’t think many people in France really knew him, when he had just moved to Germany from Crystal Palace. Some people probably still don’t know quite how good he is now.
“I worked with him at that tournament, when I was assistant coach with Thierry Henry for the French under-23 team, and I thought then that could have been his moment. The Olympics is obviously a major event, and we reached the final, and almost won gold.
“But the World Cup is something different, and this is Michael’s first big tournament with the first team. I will be watching him at this World Cup as a pundit for BBC Sport and he is the player I am most looking forward to seeing play game after game at this level, and showing everyone exactly what he can do.”
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