France's Attacking Trio: A Force to be Reckoned With
Following France's convincing 3-0 round of 32 win over Sweden, FOX Sports’ Zlatan Ibrahimović noted the team's impressive attacking trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappé. This talented group has put the World Cup on notice, with Ibrahimović stating, 'Take the five best players in the world. Three of them are on France’s attack – Dembélé, Olise and Mbappé,' before adding Spain's Lamine Yamal and Norway's Erling Haaland to the list.
Ibrahimović also commented, '[Lionel] Messi is in his own class. But three of the top five are in this attack. It’s not easy to make that combination.' Mbappé became the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer in a knockout stage, notching 10 goals after his pair of goals against Sweden, and his 18 career World Cup goals is only behind Messi's 19 for the tournament’s all-time goalscorer.
Olise's impressive record of 41 goals in 46 appearances for Bayern Munich has translated well to the France national team, complementing Mbappé and Dembélé. Through France's four World Cup games, Olise has already recorded a tournament-high five assists, showcasing his ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Ousmane Dembélé’s 2025 Ballon d’Or and Champions League title with PSG have solidified his position as one of the most powerful forwards in the game. Now with Les Bleus, his four goals, including a hat trick against Norway on June Friday, have made him a dangerous player on the field, with this tournament continuing to showcase his skills.
Ibrahimović also noted the difficulty in finding a trio like this one that can create and produce, drawing comparison to a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain trio in Ligue 1. He stated, 'We had an example on PSG, when they had Mbappé, Messi and Neymar. It was not working 100%, but they don’t have this ego…' and added, 'And they also do the job off the ball, which is more important than on the ball. We know what they can do on the ball. They can decide the game by themselves, all of them.'
The chemistry between Dembélé, Mbappé, and Olise has been a key factor in France's success, with the team advancing to the round of 16. They will face Paraguay on July 4 at Philadelphia Stadium, looking to continue their impressive run in the World Cup.