Louis Saha backs Michael Olise for Ballon d'Or contention after hat-trick

Michael Olise turned France’s last home tune-up before the World Cup into a personal showcase, scoring his first senior international hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in Lille. The performance came in Didier Deschamps’ final home match as France manager before he steps down after the tournament, and it briefly put Olise in the kind of spotlight usually reserved for the game’s most decorated attackers.

The 24-year-old Bayern Munich winger has been building toward this moment since his first senior call-up in August 2024, when Deschamps brought him in after his standout run at the Paris Olympics. France won silver in Paris, and Olise has since become a regular in the squad, enough to earn a place in a front line that also featured Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué against Northern Ireland. Deschamps said Olise had “built a lot” since his debut, a remark that fits a player whose trajectory has accelerated across both club and international football.

That is why Louis Saha’s Ballon d’Or talk landed with some force. Saha said Olise can move into Ballon d’Or contention, but also stressed that consistency is the hardest requirement. He went further, calling it “unbelievable” that France could have three possible Ballon d’Or winners in the same squad. On a night when Olise scored three times and France closed out their final match before traveling to the United States for the World Cup, the idea did not sound fanciful. It still sounded premature.

The reality check is simple: one dazzling night is not the same as a season that matches the Ballon d’Or’s usual standards. Olise has added a strong run of form for Bayern Munich to his case, and reports around the tournament have already framed him as one of France’s most influential attacking players. But the award conversation usually demands more than a highlight reel. It asks for club impact across an entire season, major trophies, and decisive performances in the biggest matches.

That is the bar Olise still has to clear. France have the talent, the depth and the expectation to go deep at the World Cup, and Olise now has a goal-filled entrance into that campaign. What comes next in the United States, and what he delivers for Bayern after that, will determine whether Ballon d’Or talk becomes a serious case or just the glow from one explosive night in Lille.