The elimination of France against Spain in the semifinalsof the 2026 World Cup left strong repercussions in the European country. One of the main targets was Michael Olise, who until that match had been one of the stars of the tournament, but had a performance well below expectations in the 2-0 defeat.
The harshest criticism came from Daniel Riolo, one of the most influential journalists in French football. During the After Foot program on RMC, he questioned the enthusiasm that had been generated around the Bayern Munich player and made a striking comparison. "We were all drunk. Olise and Mbappé formed the best duo we had ever had in the history of Les Bleus. They used to sit Olise at the table with Zidane and Platini when right now he isn't even in the kitchen", the analyst shot after the elimination.
Riolo also explained why, in his view, the attacking midfielder's performance dropped so significantly under the pressure exerted by the Spanish team. "What he has done since the start of the competition, he has done because he had space and comfort. The comfort to make passes and organize. Since there was more pressure in the midfield, when it came to him faster, we realized again that the role of number 10 no longer exists in modern football", he stated.
Olise performed well below expectations against Spain
The numbers from the match reflected Olise's difficulties. The midfielder lost possession 20 times, failed to complete any dribbles, was controlled for much of the match by Rodri, and was close to being sent off after a harsh tackle on the Spanish captain at the beginning of the match. Due to his poor performance, Didier Deschamps decided to replace him in the 72nd minute.
The disappointment was even greater because days before, the player had received praise from one of the historical figures of French football. Patrick Vieira had stated that Olise could follow in the footsteps of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane. "We had Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, and now I firmly believe we have Michael Olise. He is a future Ballon d'Or winner with all the qualities to shine on the big stages", he had affirmed.
Alongside the widespread criticism, and despite still having the match for third place against the loser of today's clash between Argentina and England, the attention of the French is focused on choosing Deschamps' successor, who had already announced that, regardless of the result in the World Cup, he would leave his position as coach of the national team. In this context, the name that is leading the race to replace him is Zinedine Zidane, a multi-champion with Real Madrid who has been inactive for a couple of years.
