Michael Olise moved level with Zinedine Zidane and Dimitri Payet in France’s free-kick scoring charts after finding the net against Italy in the Nations League.
The Bayern Munich forward scored France’s only goal in a 1-1 draw with Italy at Stade de France on Friday, in the third round of matches in the competition’s group stage.
Olise restored parity in the 55th minute with a superb free-kick from outside the penalty area. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was unable to get near the effort as it flew into the net.
The strike was Olise’s second direct free-kick goal for France. His first came against Croatia on 23 March 2025, in the quarter-finals of the Nations League.
Opta’s statistics show that Olise is only the third player to score at least two free-kicks for France since the beginning of the 21st century, with the record covering matches from 2000 onwards.
Zidane was the first France player to reach that total, despite having retired from playing in 2006. Payet later matched the achievement, having built a reputation for his ability from set pieces.
Olise now has the opportunity to claim the record outright. One more free-kick goal for France would make him the first player to score three direct free-kicks for the national team in the current millennium, moving him beyond Zidane’s historic total.
The Bayern Munich player has also impressed under Zidane’s management during the Nations League campaign. Olise scored the winning goal against Belgium in the second round of the group stage, after a notable individual move.
His latest effort against Italy came in a match that ended 1-1, leaving both sides sharing the points at Stade de France. For Olise, however, the goal provided another significant milestone in an increasingly productive spell with France.