While the headlines rightly celebrated a staggering 10-goal thriller and a new scoring crown in Kylian Mbappe, French winger Michael Olise quietly etched his name into footballing record books. Despite France suffering a chaotic 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff on Saturday night, Olise broke the legendary Pelé’s long-standing record for the most assists in a single World Cup tournament.The Bayern Munich playmaker provided his seventh assist of the 2026 World Cup during the match at the Hard Rock Stadium. In doing so, he officially surpassed the previous modern record of six assists held by the Brazilian icon Pelé since the iconic 1970 tournament. According to Opta, this is the highest number of assists recorded by a single player in one edition since detailed data tracking began in 1966.Olise’s creative brilliance has been the absolute engine behind the French attack throughout their campaign in the United States. His relationship on the right flank with captain Kylian Mbappé has rewritten the history books. Remarkably, five of Olise’s seven assists in the tournament were delivered straight to Mbappé.Opta confirmed that this is the highest number of assists from one specific player to another within a single World Cup since 1966. The telepathic combination allowed Mbappé to hit 10 tournament goals, breaking Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record with his 22nd career goal in the process.Despite the incredible individual feats of Olise and Mbappé, the night ultimately belonged to the Three Lions. England established a massive 4-0 lead early in the match, courtesy of a spectacular hat-trick by Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka. Olise’s precise passing helped spark a furious second-half comeback, allowing France to drag the scoreline back to a tight 4-3 and then 5-4.However, England’s late substitute Jude Bellingham put an end to the French resistance. The Real Madrid midfielder produced an incredible solo run in stoppage time, skipping past three defenders to finish the match at 6-4. While England walked away with the tournament’s bronze medal, the incredible statistical achievements of both Olise and Mbappé ensure that this creative French generation will be remembered for decades to come.