Michael Olise, one of the standout performers at the World Cup, has revealed why he chose to represent France over four other eligible nations, including England. The 24-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder, born in White City, London, to a Nigerian-British father and a French-Algerian mother, grew up in west London and trained at the academies of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City before making his professional debut in 2019.
International eligibility and decision
Olise was eligible to play for England, France, Nigeria, Algeria, and Haiti. He made his France Under-18 debut in 2019 and earned his first senior cap under Didier Deschamps five years later. In an interview with Highsnobiety, Olise explained his choice: 'The players I followed when I was young were French: Zidane, Thierry Henry, Ribery. And I always came to France when I was young. It felt more natural.'
Patrick Vieira's perspective
Former Arsenal captain and France World Cup winner Patrick Vieira, who managed Olise at Crystal Palace, told L'Equipe that Olise had no doubt about his decision. 'There was no question of England or anything else. He told me he had always been a supporter of the French national team. And he also explained to me that he had a better chance of becoming a world champion with Les Bleus than with England.'
Thierry Henry's praise
After France's last-16 win over Sweden, Thierry Henry called Olise France's most important player, even ahead of Kylian Mbappe. 'What he does off the ball is second to none,' Henry told Fox Sports. 'Because people always stay on what a guy does on the ball, usually, when you're that kind of guy, technical, you forget about your defensive duty. He doesn't, he thinks about the game, the way he goes about the game, Michael is a freak.' Henry added: 'The way he sees stuff is just not the same as others can see stuff. If things don't happen the way he likes, sometimes he drifts a bit out of the game because he sees everything so perfectly and so quickly. But what a player. This guy is on another planet. MVP will always be Kylian, because he will put numbers no one can do, but the most important player is Michael Olise.'
