The elimination of France against Spain in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup left strong repercussions in the European country. One of the main targets was Michael Olise, who until that match had been one of the stars of the tournament, but had a performance well below expectations in the 2-0 defeat.
The harshest criticism came from Daniel Riolo, one of the most influential journalists in French football. During the After Foot program on RMC, he questioned the enthusiasm that had been generated around the Bayern Munich player and made a striking comparison. "We were all drunk. Olise and Mbappé formed the best duo we had ever had in the history of Les Bleus. They used to sit Olise at the table with Zidane and Platini when right now he isn't even in the kitchen", the analyst shot after the elimination.
Riolo also explained why, in his view, the attacking midfielder's performance dropped so significantly under the pressure exerted by the Spanish team. "What he has done since the start of the competition, he has done because he had space and comfort. The comfort to make passes and organize. Since there was more pressure in the midfield, when it came to him faster, we realized again that the role of number 10 no longer exists in modern football", he stated.
