Michael Olise, a French international footballer, has become a standout player for France, with figures like Thierry Henry calling him a 'phenomenon' and 'on another planet.' While Olise could have potentially represented England and played alongside Bayern Munich teammate Harry Kane, he chose France due to a stronger personal connection.
Born in White City and raised near Heathrow, Olise has a French-Algerian mother and a Nigerian father. His younger brother, Richard, has represented England at youth level, but Michael Olise has consistently expressed a greater affinity for France, citing his upbringing and admiration for French footballing icons like Henry, Zinedine Zidane, and Nicolas Anelka.
Olise's talent was evident from a young age. At seven, he joined Hayes Youth, where a standout performance after coming on at halftime, scoring a hat-trick to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win, impressed coaches. Scouts took notice, and Olise joined Chelsea's academy at age seven. However, he was released by Chelsea in 2016. Sources have cited a mix of reasons for his departure, including attitude issues. One anecdote describes him wearing a Manchester United shirt during a trial for Chelsea, though another source recalled him as a "very polite boy and reserved."
After a period without an academy, Reading offered Olise an opportunity. During his time there, manager Mark Bowen described him as having "an arrogance about him, and I mean that in a nice way," noting Olise's confidence in his ability to retain possession against senior players. Despite showing resilience, some of the same punctuality and focus issues mentioned by Chelsea sources were also present at Reading, particularly when Olise was frustrated with the U23 team.
His performances for Reading eventually led Crystal Palace to trigger his £8 million release clause. While at Palace, manager Patrick Vieira noted Olise's self-critical nature, explaining that his lack of celebration after scoring a late equalizer against Manchester United stemmed from his dissatisfaction with his overall performance.
At the end of the 2023-24 season, Bayern Munich signed Olise for £52 million, reportedly outpacing Chelsea, who may now regret not meeting his salary demands. At 24, Olise is considered a potential future Ballon d'Or winner and a key player for France, a path he chose over other possibilities.
