After World Cup exit: Michael Olise’s Ballon d’Or dream is over | OneFootball

Michael Olise was one of the tournament’s standout players leading up to the World Cup semifinal. But against Spain of all teams, the Bayern star fell far short of his potential—with possible consequences for his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.

Expectations for Michael Olise were sky-high heading into the semifinal against Spain. Alongside Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Bradley Barcola, the Bayern pro was expected to lead the French offense to the World Cup final.

Instead, it turned out to be a disappointing night for the 24-year-old. In the 0-2 loss to the European champions, Olise never really got into the game and was substituted after 73 minutes.

Spain completely shut down Olise

Before the match, France’s offense was considered one of the tournament’s greatest strengths. Spain, however, impressively demonstrated why the team boasts the best defense in the World Cup.

Olise started once again in the number 10 position but was barely able to make an impact against Rodri and Fabián Ruiz. After falling behind, the Bayern star moved back to the right wing, where Marc Cucurella largely neutralized him with plenty of aggression and physical presence.

“They know exactly how to mark him,” Mats Hummels said on MagentaTV, analyzing the Spanish team’s performance. “They were prepared for everything and really took everything—everything, everything—out of the game for France.”

The statistics underscore the lackluster performance. By the time the score was 0–2, France had an xG of just 0.07. Olise didn’t manage a single shot on goal or a successful dribble and was barely able to make his mark on the game.

Setback in the Ballon d’Or race

Photo: Getty Images

The performance against Spain could also have an impact on Olise’s chances in the race for the Ballon d’Or.

Up until the semifinals, the Frenchman was among the contenders for the prestigious award. With his performances at Bayern Munich and a strong World Cup, he had established himself as one of the frontrunners.

But Harry Kane himself recently summed up what often matters most in the voting: “If you look at the Ballon d’Or winners, it’s certainly always about the really big games, the major tournaments.”

Ironically, it was precisely this “big game” that turned out disappointingly for Olise. Bayern Munich’s elimination from the Champions League in the semifinals had already diminished his chances. With the World Cup exit against Spain, the Frenchman is likely to have suffered another significant setback in the race for the Ballon d’Or.

Nevertheless, his performance against Spain hardly detracts from the Bayern star’s strong season overall. Both in Munich and for much of the World Cup, Olise was one of the standout attacking players. In the semifinal, however, he couldn’t find a way past the perfectly organized Spanish defense.