Profile
| Full name | Michael Akpovie Olise |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 December 2001, White City, London, England |
| Nationality | French |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Position | Winger / attacking midfielder |
| Current club | Bayern Munich (since 2024) |
| Known for | Record 7 assists at the 2026 World Cup; back-to-back Bundesliga Player of the Season, 2024–25 and 2025–26 |
Early Life
Olise was born in White City, London, and raised in the nearby suburb of Hayes. His mother, Mina, is Franco-Algerian, and his father, Vincent, is a British-Nigerian deacon who played international cricket for Nigeria. He has a younger brother, Richard.
Describing his multicultural upbringing, Olise has said, “I have many different connections with Nigeria, Algeria, France, and England.”
He attended Dr Triplett’s Primary School and Douay Martyrs Catholic Secondary School, and was a competitive cross-country runner and 400m sprinter for his London borough as a child, alongside an early passion for chess taught to him by his mother.
A Winding Academy Path
Olise joined his local club, Hayes & Yeading United, at age 6, before spells in the academies of Arsenal and then Chelsea, where he first met future Bayern Munich teammate Jamal Musiala.
He left Chelsea at 14 after what was described as a “mutual decision,” then had a short and difficult stint at Manchester City before leaving the club and going without a team for six months. He was eventually scouted by Reading, joining the club’s academy on trial in August 2016.
Breaking Through at Reading
Olise made his professional debut for Reading in the Championship on 12 March 2019, aged 17, and signed his first professional contract that July.
In his 2020–21 season, he made 44 league appearances, scoring 7 goals, including a stoppage-time winner against QPR on his 19th birthday that opposition manager Mark Warburton called a “world-class strike.” He won the EFL Young Player of the Season award for that campaign.
Crystal Palace and a Breakout Season
Crystal Palace signed Olise on 8 July 2021, aged 19, activating an £8 million release clause. He became a first-team regular under Patrick Vieira, and in January 2023 scored a stoppage-time free kick against Manchester United that was later voted the Premier League’s Goal of the Month.
In April 2023, he became the youngest Premier League player to record three assists from open play in a single match, and went on to record 10 assists that season, the most by any Palace player in a single Premier League campaign.
He signed a new four-year deal with Palace in August 2023 amid interest from Chelsea, but a serious hamstring injury suffered playing for France’s under-21 side limited his following season to 19 appearances, in which he still scored 10 goals and was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Move to Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich confirmed the signing of Olise from Crystal Palace on 7 July 2024, on a five-year contract to 2029, for a reported fee of €60 million including add-ons.
He scored twice on his Champions League debut, a 9–2 win over Dinamo Zagreb, and ended his first season as the Bundesliga’s top assist provider with 15 assists and 12 goals, winning the league’s Rookie of the Season award and his first Bayern Munich Player of the Season award, while helping the club win the league title.
He followed it with an even stronger 2025–26 season, finishing with 15 goals and 19 assists in the league to become only the second player since detailed Bundesliga records began in 2004–05, after Jadon Sancho, to reach at least 15 goals and 15 assists in a single season.
He was named Bundesliga Player of the Season, was Bayern’s Player of the Season for a second consecutive year, and helped the club to a domestic treble of the league, the DFB-Pokal and the German Supercup.
Choosing France Over England, Algeria and Nigeria
Eligible to play internationally for England, Algeria, Nigeria or France, Olise was approached by all three of the other federations but committed to France, a decision he has attributed to his mother, who sent highlight tapes of her son to the French Football Federation.
He said, “My mother is from France.” He represented France at Under-18 and Under-21 level, and was part of the squad that won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing the tournament as its top assist provider.
He made his senior debut for France on 6 September 2024, and scored his first senior goal in a Nations League quarter-final win over Croatia in March 2025.
Breaking Pelé’s World Cup Assist Record
Olise was named in France’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 11 May 2026. He started the tournament by providing an assist in a 3–1 win over Senegal and went on to register two further assists in a 3–0 win over Sweden in the round of 32, becoming the first player to reach five assists at a single World Cup since Thomas Häßler in 1994.
After a quieter semi-final defeat to Spain, he provided two more assists, both for Mbappé, in France’s 6–4 third-place loss to England on 18 July 2026, taking his tournament total to 7 and surpassing the record of 6 that Pelé set for Brazil at the 1970 World Cup.
He was named the tournament’s Best Playmaker by the IFFHS and was included in both FIFA’s and the IFFHS’s teams of the tournament. He finished the 2025–26 season, across club and country, as the first player in history to be the top assist provider at the World Cup, in the Champions League and in a major domestic league in the same season.
A Ballon d’Or Contender
Olise was nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2025 and was named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 award, announced on 8 September 2026, alongside players including Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, the defending winner.
The 2026 ceremony, marking the award’s 70th anniversary, is scheduled to take place at the London Palladium on 26 October 2026, the first time it has been held outside Paris, in a nod to Stanley Matthews, the inaugural winner in 1956.
Olise was also named Best Winger by the BBC and included in ESPN’s list of the best male footballers in the world following the 2025–26 season.
Continuing Form in 2026–27
Olise opened the 2026–27 season by scoring and assisting in Bayern’s 2–1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on 22 August 2026, earning Man of the Match honours, and followed it with a goal in a 5–1 win over VfB Stuttgart in the league opener.
On 18 September 2026, he scored his first career hat-trick in club football in a 7–0 win over Union Berlin. He was named FC Bayern’s Player of the Month for August 2026, and, according to beIN Sports, the club has been reported to be considering a new contract for him despite his existing deal running to 2029.
Playing Style and Personality
Nicknamed “Mr. Nonchalant” by fans and dubbed “L’Artiste” (“The Artist”) by French media, Olise is known for his understated, minimal-celebration style on the pitch and his reluctance to seek public attention off it.
Former France Olympic coach Thierry Henry has said of him, “He is a dream come true. He doesn’t play the game, he thinks the game.” Olise has said he scored 127 on an IQ test in 2024, and credits his chess background for his reading of the game.
He has notably avoided commercial boot sponsorship deals throughout his career, a choice reported by the New York Times to cost him millions of pounds annually, preferring instead to wear customised, discontinued boots.
Career Statistics
| Club | Seasons | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 2018–2021 | 73 | 7 |
| Crystal Palace | 2021–2024 | 90 | 16 |
| Bayern Munich | 2024–present | 114 | 50 |
| France (national team) | 2024–present | 25 | 7 |
Career Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 12 March 2019 | Makes professional debut for Reading at age 17 |
| 8 July 2021 | Signs for Crystal Palace for an £8 million release clause |
| 7 July 2024 | Joins Bayern Munich for a reported €60 million |
| 6 September 2024 | Makes senior debut for France |
| 2024–25 season | Named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season and Bayern’s Player of the Season |
| 2025–26 season | Records 15 goals and 19 assists; named Bundesliga Player of the Season |
| 18 July 2026 | Breaks Pelé’s record for most assists in a single World Cup, finishing with 7 |
| 8 September 2026 | Named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or |
| 18 September 2026 | Scores his first senior hat-trick, in a 7–0 win over Union Berlin |
| 26 October 2026 | Scheduled Ballon d’Or ceremony, held in London for the first time |
Sources
- Wikipedia — Michael Olise
- Wikipedia — 2026 Ballon d’Or
- UEFA — 2026 Ballon d’Or Awards Nominees Revealed
- Yahoo Sports — World Cup 2026: France’s Michael Olise Breaks Pelé’s Record for Assists
- ESPN — France 4-6 England (Jul 18, 2026) Final Score
- Goal.com — Michael Olise ‘In Tears’ After Costly Misses for France, but Takes World Cup Record From Pelé
- Bundesliga.com — Michael Olise Hitting New Heights for Bayern Munich in 2026/27
- FC Bayern München — Michael Olise Named FC Bayern August 2026 Player of the Month
- beIN Sports — Bayern Munich Could Look to Secure Michael Olise With a New Contract
- Daily Post Nigeria — ‘My Mother Is From France’ – Olise on Why He Snubbed Nigeria, England, Algeria
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