“Michael is a freak”: Thierry Henry explains what Bayern star Olise does better than everyone else

Henry began his aria on Fox Sports by praising Olise above all for his defensive qualities: "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!"

Now working as a TV pundit, Henry knows Olise extremely well. He coached him just under two years ago as manager of the France Under-23 national team at the Olympic Games in Paris. Henry's side won the silver medal there. Olise returned two goals and five assists in six matches.

Henry's verdict: "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!"

"I had the privilege of coaching him," he continued. "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."

At Bayern Munich, Olise operates on the right of the attack, but France coach Didier Deschamps uses him in attacking midfield. By his own admission, it is a role Olise likes very much and one that clearly suits him too. He now has five assists from just four matches at the World Cup finals, a new record. Olise also went close to a spectacular dream goal against Sweden.

Alongside him in France's frightening attack are captain Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, among others. Even after Mbappe's double against Sweden, Henry's view was clear: "MVP will always be Kylian, because he puts up numbers like nobody else can. But the most important player is Michael Olise."