Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich playmaker, has provided five assists for France during the World Cup, more than any other player in the tournament. Born in England and raised in Hayes, west London, Olise chose to represent France, the country of his mother, Mina, who is French Algerian. His father, Vincent, is British Nigerian. Olise has described himself as coming from four countries: France, Algeria, Nigeria, and Great Britain.
Early days in Hayes
Olise's football journey began on a housing estate in Hayes, where he practised with his brother, Richard. Sean Conlon, one of his early coaches with Old Isleworthians, recalled: 'I would go over to his house and he would be practising outside with Richard. That little estate probably really aided him; there weren’t a lot of cars but it had quite a lot of concrete open space and then a small green. He’d just be practising out here all the time, obsessed with football.'
Conlon noted Olise's natural grace: 'When I first saw him play for Hayes when he was six what stood out was his physical movement. He glides around the pitch: very graceful, perfect coordination, everything effortless. The way he moves today was how he moved when he was six. That’s something he’s been born with. People say he’s the best player England has ever developed.'
Rejections by Chelsea and Manchester City
Olise joined Chelsea's academy at age nine and later moved to Manchester City, where he was in Cole Palmer's year group and a year behind Phil Foden. However, both clubs released him, at 16. He returned to Conlon's academy, We Make Footballers, desperately seeking a professional club. Brendan Flanagan, an academy scout at Reading, received a recommendation and brought Olise in.
Flanagan recalled scepticism from Reading staff: 'There was a lot of scepticism from various members of staff at Reading that he would be a bad egg. [They said]: “He’s been released by Chelsea, by Man City. We shouldn’t be bringing him in. He’ll be a problem.” I said: “Look, let’s just get the kid in and make our decision.”' Conlon added: 'All the other scouts were: “He’s just come out of Manchester City, he’s just come out of Chelsea, why have they not kept him on?” They were half and half. But Reading were the ones that committed.'
Thriving at Reading
Olise travelled from London to Reading for training, and the club arranged a shuttle bus from the station. Flanagan noted his polite demeanour: 'On his first day I got a call from him at the station and he was asking: “Where do I need to pick the bus up please?” I directed him to the shuttle bus but everything was “please” and “thank you” and I thought to myself: “This ain’t a bad kid. He’s just a kid who’s a bit misunderstood, different.” And we never had a problem with him. He wasn’t ever a bad lad. He was always an intelligent, quiet lad who just expressed himself a bit differently. What wasn’t right for them [City and Chelsea] ... well, we’re just little old Reading down the M4. We can work with these kids.'
Olise quickly progressed to Reading's under-21s. Flanagan and former player Hayden Mullins watched him play against Sparta Prague in the European Under-21 Cup. 'He was absolutely unbelievable that day,' Flanagan said. 'Hayden and I shook hands at the end and said: “This kid will play for the first team by the end of the season.”' A few weeks later, Olise was called into first-team training by manager José Gomes, made his debut soon after, and became a key player.
Choosing France over England
England never called Olise at youth level, partly because Reading was not considered a top academy. Flanagan explained: 'We weren’t as attractive a club. It’s slightly changed now but back then, for England, generally, you had to come from Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. France reached out to us and we spoke to Michael. I think they were given information that there was a French connection. They were the first one who selected him [for the under-18s] and, even though England came in for him for the under-20s, he was happy where he was.'
At the time, England had a golden generation of talents, including Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, and Noni Madueke in his age group, with Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala a year below. Despite being born in England and developed in its system, Olise now plays for France, where he has become the tournament's top assist provider.
Rise to stardom
After Reading, Olise moved to Crystal Palace and then Bayern Munich, where his game has reached new heights. Flanagan reflected: 'Could I see he would reach the levels that he’s reached? I don’t think anyone could. Some kids do look like they might be a Ballon d’Or contender at 16 and then kind of level out. But Michael was on a trajectory that went up and up and up and he still hasn’t levelled off. He just seems to be getting better and better. He’s always had a picture in his head, saw things quicker than anyone else and had the ability to find a way to make the pass. But he’s just gone to another level.'
Conlon marvelled at Olise's success: 'It’s crazy. With the under-eights, we say to the kids: “One day you’re going to win the World Cup. One day you’re going to win the Champions League. This is why you have to have these standards.” You preach it and now we’ve actually had someone go and do it.'
What if England face France?
If England meet France in the World Cup final, Olise's childhood mentors face a dilemma. Flanagan said: 'I’m going to be sat on the fence. Obviously I want Michael to do well. But obviously I want England to win as well. So I probably won’t watch the game and stay out of the way.'
