Paris [France], July 1 (ANI): Former Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry hailed compatriot and striker Michael Olise for his strong performances in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, referring to him as a “boy on another planet".
Olise’s incredible run at the ongoing FIFA World Cup continued as Olise secured his fifth assist of the tournament during his side’s 3-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday. As per Opta Analyst, he is having a tournament for ages, becoming the first player to get five or more assists in a single FIFA World Cup since Thomas Habler of Germany in 1994 (5). The only player on record who has delivered more assists than the aforementioned men is Brazilian icon Pele (six in the 1970 edition).
Henry said on Fox Sports as qutoed by Goal.com, that what Olise does “without" the ball is second to none.
“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!," he said.
Henry knows Olise really well, having coached him two years back as the manager of France under-23 team at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Henry led his side to a silver medal, with Olise’s two goals and five assists being a standout contribution.
“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!," said Henry.
“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.
Also, former Bayern Munich star Willy Sagnol also hailed the superstar player, saying that “something is seriously wrong with football" if he does not win a Ballon d’Or.
Saying to BILD as quoted by Goal.com, Olise said, “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 also said that as compared to legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Olise comes across as a “pure team player" who “could not care less whether he scores".
“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 explained.
Sagnol pointed out that former France FIFA WC winner also carried the same 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," he signed off. (ANI)
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