Michael Olise is reportedly not a fan of Rayan Cherki, as the two spend the international break alongside one another with France. The Bayern Munich man and the Manchester City sensation each received a call-up from Zinedine Zidane for the Nations League, with Les Bleus thriving at the top of the Group A standings.
France enjoyed a 1-0 win over Turkiye in their opener, before putting Belgium to the sword with the same scoreline. Olise shone in the nation's most-recent clash with Italy, meanwhile, scoring a vital goal in a 1-1 draw with Roberto Mancini's men.
Trouble away from the action
While Zidane's side look a well-oiled machine on the pitch, L'Equipe state that there is trouble away from the action - with claims that Olise and Cherki are struggling to get on with each other. The publication reports that the two forward-minded players have opposing approaches to the beautiful game.
Olise manages to show leadership without a need to be vocal, adopting a largely calm gameplan. Cherki, however, is said to be witty and unpredictable both in training and in competitive matches - something which is thought to be grinding his team-mate's gears.
That could prove problematic for Zidane, given the Real Madrid legend will hope to utilise both world-class talents alongside each other in his quest for greatness on the international stage. There is no denying just how much of an impact Olise and Cherki can have when in their respective flow states.
Impressive club form
Olise heads into the Nations League off the back of a standout season with Bayern, in which, he managed 15 goals and 21 assists in the Bundesliga alone. Cherki also showed his value with City in 2025/26, registering four goals and 12 assists in a Premier League season where he was limited to 1,786 minutes by Pep Guardiola.
Add those two into an outfit with an already talent-stacked attack, including the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, and you have quite the handful for any team they come up against.
However, as football fans will know all too well, it takes teamwork to be successful regardless of individual talent. That is something which Zidane will have in mind as he looks to build a new team capable of winning the biggest prizes.
World Cup heartbreak and absentees
It comes as France will be looking to bounce back from heartbreak at the 2026 World Cup, where they suffered a 2-0 loss to tournament winners Spain in the semi-finals. The nation were also on the receiving end of a 6-4 loss in the third-place play-off match to England, rubbing further salt in the wounds.
However, Zidane hasn't had a full-strength squad to pick and choose from for his opening tournament as head coach of his country.
William Saliba is yet to appear for France since the World Cup, where he saw a flare-up with regard to a back injury. Warren Zaire-Emery, meanwhile, is currently sidelined with a thigh problem.
Zidane will also be without Matteo Guendouzi and Dayot Upamecano for their match against Belgium on Monday, given the pair are currently serving suspensions.
