Published On 2/7/2026
French football legend and three-time Ballon d’Or winner, Michel Platini, expressed his great admiration for the tactical style and the new position occupied by Michael Olise as an outspoken playmaker with the “Roosters” national team. It is a center that is facing the risk of extinction in modern football systems.
Platini’s praise, who has emerged as one of the best “playmakers” in history, came in the context of a state of general praise surrounding the player from the fans, the media, and his teammates in the national team. +
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In an interview published by the French newspaper “L’Equipe”, the former “Roosters” star awarded Olisey the title of stardom, as the new maestro of the French national team’s midfield, based on his remarkable levels during the current World Cup competitions, during which he made five decisive passes.
Followers believe that Olissi is reviving the identity of the classic “playmaker” that has faded in contemporary stadiums.
The decision of the technical director, Didier Deschamps, to re-employ the player deep in the field behind the striker proved to be a great tactical success, a shift whose effectiveness has been demonstrated since the opening match against Senegal, which ended in favor of the French with a score of (3-1). Platini praised Deschamps’s tactical vision, which restored consideration to the “No. 10” position.
Deschamps revives the “Number 10” position
In his technical analysis, one of the best stars in the world in the 1980s, who was crowned with the Ballon d’Or in 1983, 1984 and 1985, explained: “Olissi already possesses all the tactical and technical capabilities to occupy the number 10 position in its classic sense.”
He added, “Modern football has begun to employ playmakers on the flanks. We see Olissi playing for his club (Bayern Munich) as a right winger, similar to the Spaniard Lamine Jamal (Barcelona), who in turn is good at sending this type of through ball. But the intelligence of coach Didier Deschamps was embodied in his ability to adapt to the technical characteristics of his players, and thus history records that Deschamps is the coach who revived the game plan with an honest playmaker.”
Offensive harmony
The 1984 European Nations Cup champion stopped at the major turning point of harmony between the Bayern Munich player and the rest of the offensive elements. The continuous movements of the attackers and their good reading of spaces formed a fundamental pillar in the offensive boom of the “2022 World Champions Runner-up”.
The French national team has succeeded in scoring 13 goals in four matches since the start of the 2026 World Cup, including six goals scored by striker Kylian Mbappe, making them the top scorer in the tournament along with Argentine Lionel Messi.
In this regard, Platini added: “With the high quality of the attackers and their ability to harmonize with him, half the attacking mission is already accomplished. The decisive pass is closely linked to requesting the ball into space, and vice versa. The players realize that Oliseh has a comprehensive vision of the field. Mbappe knows precisely where Michael will send the pass because they speak one football language, and this is due to the intelligence of the game and the players together. On the other hand, Oliseh knows that his teammates move based on this mutual understanding.”
Platini concluded his speech by pointing out the scarcity of this connection in the stadiums today, stressing that Oliseh is one of the few who have brought these techniques back to the forefront, noting at the same time that Ousmane Dembélé, in turn, has the ability to create plays and send such intense through balls.
