Zidane praises Olise, "natural game leader" ahead of France-Belgium in Nations League

Zinédine Zidane publicly praised Michael Olise on the eve of the France-Belgium match, matchday 4 of the Nations League, scheduled for Monday at Stade de France (20:45). The France manager spoke on the Téléfoot show to paint a glowing portrait of the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder.

“He is very good with his club, and to see him perform like this with the France team, with his teammates, he is a natural game leader,” Zidane said. He also highlighted the contrast between the player’s discretion off the pitch and his influence whenever he touches the ball: “He is someone who is rather reserved and shy off the field. And that works very well because on the pitch, he is not at all. With the ball, he just needs to show his talent and that is what he does.”

The facts back up the manager. After a disappointing 2026 World Cup, Olise has approached the Nations League with remarkable consistency. He provided the assist for the only goal against Turkey (0-1), then scored the winning goal in Belgium (0-1) before striking a sumptuous free kick under the bar to open the scoring against Italy, a match that ended in a draw (1-1).

For this final gathering of the campaign, the Red Devils will arrive without Kevin De Bruyne, deprived of their playmaker. France, meanwhile, will be able to rely once again on a confident Olise to close out this first gathering of the Zidane era.