Doué electrifies France against Belgium, Jobard sees 'Michael Jordan'

Désiré Doué dominated the France-Belgium Nations League match on Monday evening, delivering a high-level performance despite not scoring, drawing an unexpected comparison with basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Starting in a heavily reshuffled France team, the PSG winger took control of the French attack with remarkable ease. Solid, incisive and constantly dangerous, the winger multiplied his accelerations and moments of class, making life difficult for the Belgian defence throughout the match.

It was Stéphane Jobard, former assistant to Rudi Garcia with Belgium until the end of the 2026 World Cup, who found the strongest words to describe the PSG player’s performance. “He delivered an outstanding performance, it’s top class, with an incredible speed of execution in tight spaces,” he told Parisien. The coach, a former Dijon manager, then ventured a particularly flattering comparison: “Every time I see him play, I feel like I’m watching Michael Jordan. I’m waiting for a moment of magic every time he touches the ball, I was blown away by his performance.”

Doué certainly lacked luck in the final touch, hitting the crossbar or missing the target narrowly. Jobard nonetheless tempered any disappointment about his finishing: “If we focus on the finishing, we can be disappointed, but he’s the catalyst, he’s the one who pushes back the entire Belgian defence, who creates space for others. He played a very high-level match.”

Beyond the individual performance, the former Belgium assistant was impressed by the cohesion displayed by Zinédine Zidane’s men despite the numerous changes made at the start of the match. The Blues’ ability to control the game with such a rejuvenated lineup illustrates the depth of French talent, with Désiré Doué now establishing himself as one of its brightest symbols.