It might not be Kylian Mbappé or Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé lighting up France’s attack at the World Cup.

Instead, it could be the discreet and unassuming Michael Olise, with his golden first touch and devastating changes of direction.

Starting when two-time champions France takes on Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: All the fixtures

The Bayern Munich winger enters the tournament in fine form after netting a superb hat-trick against Northern Ireland on Monday, taking his total to seven in 17 games for Les Bleus.

Coach Didier Deschamps fielded his first-choice side and it was Olise who stood out most in a glittering attack featuring Mbappé, Dembélé and rising star Désiré Doué.

“He’s been shining brightly this season at Bayern and he’s done great things for us. He’s brimming with confidence, he’s so decisive,” Deschamps said of Olise. “On top of that, as an attacking player he also has a remarkable capacity for hard work.”

After two finishes inside the penalty area, Olise curled a brilliant shot into the top left corner after breaking inside from the right flank with one of his sudden switches of play.

It’s become his signature move, helping the 24-year-old score 22 goals for Bayern this season.

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Deschamps said Olise impressed him at the 2024 Paris Olympics. There, he was coached by Thierry Henry — the France and Arsenal great — and Olise’s two goals and five assists helped Les Bleus reach the final.

Olise called the Paris Games “the best football experience of my life” because they “allowed people to get to know me”. He praised Henry for sharing his vision of the game.

But when Olise stepped up to the senior side, Deschamps said it took him “four or five” games to show his true potential because he was shy.

“He’s not a very expressive character. He’s rather introverted, but he’s very endearing,” Deschamps said.

Olise’s first international goal came on his sixth appearance, and it showcased his ability as he bent a free kick into the top corner against Croatia in the 2025 Nations League.

London-raised

Born in London, Olise began his professional career with Reading after being released by Chelsea and Manchester City.

While playing for Reading in the second-tier Championship he was named the English Football League’s young player of the season.

He joined Premier League side Crystal Palace in 2021, and three seasons with Palace were enough to convince Bayern to sign him in a deal worth €60 million ($65 million).

Olise added goal-scoring to his superb range of passing and in two seasons at the German giant he’s netted 42 goals in 107 games, albeit in an extremely attack-minded team.

Olise’s goals took the spotlight off another mediocre performance from Mbappé, who also failed to score in a 2-1 home loss to Ivory Coast last Thursday. 

Read moreFrance stunned by Ivory Coast in World Cup warm-up defeat

“It’s true that he had several chances and wasn’t efficient,” Deschamps said.

Mbappé has 56 international goals and needs two more to beat Olivier Giroud‘s France record.

“He told me he’s holding back for the United States,” Deschamps said with a smile. “So that suits me.”

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

AJ Lee has been absent from WWE programming for over seven weeks. A recent report sheds light on her immediate future in the Stamford-based promotion.

The Geek Goddess’ last appearance on WWE programming was on Night One of WrestleMania 42, where she lost the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Becky Lynch. While wrestling fans have been waiting for her to be back in action, a recent report from WrestleVotes via Fightful Select claims that the 39-year-old is not making a return anytime soon.

AJ Lee returned to the global juggernaut after more than a decade last year in September. Although she did not make regular appearances, the former three-time WWE Divas Champion was involved in several memorable moments.

She wrestled five matches since her return and secured the win in all of them except her last match. While one of her four wins was against Bayley, she made Becky Lynch tap out in the remaining three.

AJ Lee made a massive revelation about her current WWE contract

AJ Lee has been vocal about her lifelong struggles with mental health. She has openly admitted to having retired from professional wrestling in 2015 to focus on getting her mental health under control.

Speaking on iHeart Women’s Sports, the WWE Superstar highlighted how times have changed and she could now speak openly about mental health. The legendary star further revealed that she had a clause regarding it in her current contract with the company.

“When the first thing I wanted to make sure was going to work was, is my mental health protected? Do I feel safe here? Are you guys aware of what that means, to need mental health time off or sort of just like, is that something that is a priority for that to be a priority? The conversation was really cool in a way that, like, I couldn’t even reveal my diagnosis 10 years ago, but now it’s like, you know, a part of my contract. So like that is a really cool, beautiful thing,” Lee said.

AJ Lee is one of the beloved stars in professional wrestling. It will be interesting to see if and when she makes her return to WWE programming.