France legend Thierry Henry has declared Michael Olise the national team’s most important player at the World Cup, ranking the Bayern Munich winger above even Kylian Mbappé despite the striker’s prolific scoring run.
Olise delivered two more assists in France’s 3-0 round-of-32 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, taking his tournament tally to five. Mbappé netted twice to reach six goals in just four games, yet Henry insists it is Olise who makes the decisive difference through his all-round contribution.
Speaking on FOX Sports, Henry highlighted Olise’s rare combination of technical quality and defensive discipline. He noted that while gifted players often neglect off-the-ball duties, Olise maintains his responsibilities in both phases. The former Arsenal striker described the 23-year-old as operating on “another planet” in terms of vision, recalling his own experience coaching Olise and witnessing moments in training that left staff struggling to hide their amazement.
Henry acknowledged that Mbappé will claim individual honours due to his goalscoring statistics, which stand at six for the tournament. However, he stressed that Olise’s ability to read play and create opportunities makes him the team’s essential component. Henry observed that Olise processes the game so rapidly that he can become frustrated when teammates fail to anticipate his intentions, though this rarely diminishes his effectiveness.
France now advance to a last-16 meeting with Paraguay on Saturday. With Olise leading the assist charts and Mbappé topping the scorers, Les Bleus possess the most productive attacking partnership remaining in the competition.