News Focus
- Michael Olise hopes to copy Kylian Mbappe’s 2018 World Cup breakthrough this summer
- Rayan Cherki grows into a complete footballer under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
- Jean-Philippe Mateta brings goals and strong leadership to the France squad
- Gael Clichy predicts big tournaments for all three players in North America
Some footballers need one special competition to become superstars. Kylian Mbappe showed this at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Fans knew he was fast and skilful before the event. But that tournament made him famous around the world.
Now, Michael Olise could do the same thing. Former France defender Gael Clichy hopes this summer belongs to the Bayern Munich winger. Olise will play in his first World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has only played sixteen times for France. Clichy thinks this is the perfect time for him to show his quality.
Clichy worked with Olise at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He was assistant coach to Thierry Henry with the under-23 team. France reached the final and won silver. Clichy thought that might be Olise’s big moment. But the World Cup is different.
“We see him in the Champions League with Bayern,” Clichy said. “But this is his chance with the full national team. If he plays like he did this season, people will see he is one of France’s best.”
Clichy also has high hopes for Rayan Cherki. The attacking midfielder just finished his first season at Manchester City. He works with coach Pep Guardiola. Clichy sees big changes in the 22-year-old’s game.
“Cherki always looks calm with the ball,” Clichy explained. “He can use both feet. But before this year, he did not work hard without the ball. When you are young, coaches let you skip defence because you win games with your skill.”
Clichy understands this. He is now a manager himself. He knows winning matters most. But modern football needs players to defend and attack. Guardiola taught Cherki this lesson.
“Working with Pep is hard,” Clichy said. “He can make you great or destroy you. You must listen. Rayan listened. He learned to play without the ball.”
Clichy played with Samir Nasri, another skilful French player. Nasri learned to work hard at Marseille, Arsenal and City. He won the Premier League twice. Clichy thinks Cherki has more talent than Nasri.
The third player is Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Crystal Palace striker joins the squad after a strong season. Clichy coached him at the Olympics too. He expected Mateta to change clubs after that success. Instead, Mateta stayed and won the FA Cup and Europa Conference League with Palace.
“Mateta is a traditional strong striker,” Clichy said. “He has power and he scores goals. He is also a great leader in the dressing room. He accepts sitting on the bench and still helps when he comes on.”
Clichy will watch all three as a BBC Sport expert during the World Cup. France needs these players to perform well. If they do, the 2026 World Cup will be their moment to become stars.