Paris 2024 Games: Thierry Henry ‘not surprised’ by Michael Olise’s displays during Olympics run - ‘Just the beginning’

France have beaten Egypt and Argentina in the knockout stages of the Olympic football competition to reach the gold medal match in Paris, where they will face 1992 Barcelona champions Spain for the chance to win the tournament for the first time since 1984. France manager Thierry Henry says he is "in a dream" and hailed the influence of new Bayern Munich signing Michael Olise.

Watch: Top 5 goals from Olympic men's football tournament

Video credit: TNT Sports

France manager Thierry Henry says he is "not surprised" by Michael Olise's performances, which have helped his nation reach the Olympic final against Spain.

Former Crystal Palace forward Olise has been one of the star French players at the tournament with two goals and four assists to his name.

Henry is grateful to have Bayern Munich’s new signing in his squad, and expects him to go on to have a big future.

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"You know that I don't like to focus on just one player, but I am not really surprised by what he has been doing, and by what he is doing right now," he said in a news conference.

"He has huge qualities, and you haven't seen much yet. This is what I think: it is just the beginning for him."

Henry added that he is “in a dream” ahead of the gold medal match at the Parc des Princes.

France double their lead through Olise's wonderful curled strike

Video credit: TNT Sports

A battling 3-1 win after extra time against Egypt in the semi-finals took France through for the chance to play for the gold medal on August 9.

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a brace to take his tally for the tournament to four goals, while Olise added the third.

Spain have already enjoyed a sensational summer after winning Euro 2024 and will be hoping to spoil the party in Paris by stopping Henry’s side from achieving Olympic glory.

Speaking ahead of the final, France manager Henry said: "I am in a dream, quite simply. I am in a dream, whatever the outcome of the final will be. And you know very well how competitive I am, so we will do anything we can to win it. But it will be hard to wake up from this dream.

“Look at what happens every night, seeing the athletes fight and compete gives me the shivers, even when they lose, there is empathy and sympathy for everyone, and then you have all these winners. And that's why I said that we are still a good country."

Henry was part of the French squad to win the 1998 World Cup on home soil, and he knows his team has the chance to give the host nation another moment to remember forever.

"When you look at the amount of times the teams go to the final in a tournament being at home, look at the history, it doesn't happen often," he said. "We have the habit in France to manage to do it somehow.

“But I've been telling them, again I repeat myself: feel the emotion, don't become it."

The criteria for a player to play football at this year’s Olympics was for their birthday to be born on or after January 1, 2001.

However, each manager was able to call upon three older players, with Henry picking Mateta, Loic Bade and Alexandre Lacazette.

Former Arsenal striker Lacazette is backing his youthful team-mates to perform under the pressure of the Olympic final.

Speaking about how the expectation has affected them so far, he said: "They really handled the emotion really well.

“I know for some people tomorrow is going to be tough because most of them are from Paris and all their family and friends are going to be there.

"So I know it's going to be different for them, but still I believe in them because they are strong, they are really strong, and they have a lot of quality to handle that."

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