Michael Olise came off the bench for France in their UEFA Nations League match against Belgium last week and transformed the game. When he entered in the 60th minute, France were trailing. By the time he was done, they had won in a rout. Olise scored twice and set up another goal in a devastating 10-minute spell. His fourth goal in four matches, it was a performance that had the crowd roaring every time he touched the ball.
The context made it all the more remarkable. Ousmane Dembélé had started the match wearing the captain’s armband. He was active, but Belgium double- and triple-teamed him, knowing he wasn’t the best passer and would often dally on the ball. Manager Zinedine Zidane made changes in the 60th minute to galvanize his team. Olise replaced Dembélé directly. As he came on, Dembélé handed him the captain’s armband. A clip online shows Olise accepting it with a look of confusion, seemingly not understanding why he was given the honor, since he is not usually the captain or vice-captain.
The crowd’s reaction said everything. When Olise came on, they roared as if victory was inevitable, even though France were down. Whenever he touched the ball, they rose in anticipation. He had wowed them throughout the World Cup with seven assists and moments of magic, and he had already scored a late goal to beat Belgium at the end of September.
The game turned. Désiré Doué, who had come on for Bradley Barcola before Olise, scored the equalizer. Then Olise took over. In the 80th minute, he beat his man down the line and cut the ball back for Rayan Cherki to score. Seven minutes later, he got the ball on the right side of the box from Doué, and surrounded by defenders, managed a weak shot with his right foot that took the goalkeeper by surprise and went in. Three minutes after that, in the 90th minute, he made a run through the middle, Doué found him again, and with one touch he slotted the ball through the keeper’s legs.
Olise is often accused of performing nonchalance. The column argues that maybe it’s a case of social anxiety and shyness being so unusual in professional football that fans see it as insincere. But watch him closely, and it’s impossible to accuse him of nonchalance. His playing style is one of ease and grace, similar to Zidane: the grace comes from a sense to entertain but also from an economy of movement. If Dembélé’s danger comes from the innumerable ways he can beat you, Olise beats defenders by doing the simple things extremely well.
Armbands don’t signify the best player. That conversation is now centered around the Ballon d’Or. Players and teams openly campaign for it, and fans attack each other’s favorites. The obsession with the award has atrophied how we understand and appreciate players, replacing it with destructive comparison where great players are torn down if they haven’t won enough or scored enough. This leaves no space for one of the best parts of watching football: the sense of wonder players give us.
The joy of watching Olise, Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Raphinha, Harry Kane, Rodri, and others doesn’t come from the possibility they might win the Ballon d’Or. What is wonderful is seeing how each player solves the same questions on the field, how each interprets the game with their own strengths and weaknesses, and how they make magic from a collection of rules and chaos. When Olise steps onto the field, checking the length of the grass and looking bemused at the armband, the thought isn’t whether he can prove he’s the best in the world. It’s hoping to be impressed by a player expanding what is possible. And more often than not, he delivers.