PARIS, July 1 (ANI) — Former Arsenal and France star Thierry Henry praised compatriot Michael Olise for his strong performances at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, calling him a “boy on another planet.”
Olise’s remarkable run continued Tuesday as he recorded his fifth assist of the tournament in France’s 3-0 win over Sweden. According to Opta Analyst, he became the first player to register five or more assists in a single FIFA World Cup since Germany’s Thomas Häßler in 1994. The only player on record with more assists in a single tournament is Brazil legend Pelé, who had six in 1970.
Henry, speaking on Fox Sports as quoted by Goal.com, said Olise’s work away from the ball sets him apart.
“As I said before the start of the tournament, what he does without the ball is second to none. A lot of people focus on what a lad does with the ball. And normally, when you are that kind of player with outstanding technique, you sometimes forget your defensive duties. He does not do that!” Henry said.
Henry knows Olise well, having coached him two years ago as manager of France’s under-23 team at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Henry led France to a silver medal, with Olise’s two goals and five assists standing out.
“Michael is a freak. The way he perceives things is different from other people. When things are not going the way he wants because he is so much quicker in his head, then he gets slightly annoyed. But what a player!” Henry said.
“I had the privilege of coaching him. Sometimes in training he did things where you had to hold yourself back from saying: ‘Wow!’ Because as a coach you do not do that. But you speak to your assistant and say: ‘Did you see what he did?’ … This boy is on another planet and he is different,” he added.
Former Bayern Munich star Willy Sagnol also praised Olise, saying it would be “seriously wrong” if he does not win the Ballon d’Or.
“Olise is the best in the world, far ahead of all other players. If he does not win the Ballon d’Or at the end of the year, something is seriously wrong with football,” Sagnol told BILD, as quoted by Goal.com.
Sagnol also described Olise as a “pure team player” who cares little about personal statistics, contrasting his style with that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
“Olise is simply a pure team player, not an individualist. For our children, there is finally a great role model… To put it bluntly, Olise could not care less whether he scores, provides an assist, or not. You can see that he does not think about doing something for himself, but always looks at what helps the team,” he said.
He added that former France World Cup winner Lilian Thuram shared a similar mentality, while Ronaldo and Messi “play a bit more for themselves and their statistics.”
“Nothing against Ronaldo and Messi, they are great. Olise is just a true team player,” Sagnol said.
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