Michael Akpovie Olise (; ; ; ; born 12 December 2001) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and winger for

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

club

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

. Born in England, he plays for the France national team. The product of various English

academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, Olise made his professional debut for

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

in 2019. In 2021, he was signed by

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club Crystal Palace, where he spent three seasons and was nominated for

PFA Young Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the ...

in 2024, before moving to Bayern. Olise represented France at youth level and was included in their squad for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. He made his debut for the senior French team in September 2024.

Early life

Olise was born in White City, Greater London, England, and raised in Hayes, Greater London, to a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

father and French-Algerian mother. In an interview with FC Bayern Magazine ''51'', when asked about his nationality he said "I actually come from four countries: France, Algeria, Nigeria and Great Britain. I consider myself very lucky to possess these four parts, which all enrich me. I feel each individual part in me, I've developed attachments in all my countries."

Club career

Early career

Olise joined Hayes and Yeading around the age of six, before joining the Chelsea Academy. He was a youth player at

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, Chelsea (spending seven years with them before leaving aged 14), and

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

Reading

In July 2018, Olise was inducted into

's Academy scholarship program. He made his debut for

on 12 March 2019, in a 3–0 home defeat to

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

, and on 15 July, he signed a three-year professional contract with the club. He scored his first league goal for Reading on 19 September 2020, volleying home in the 76th minute with the second goal in a 2–0 win over

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

at the

Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (), currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in EFL League One. It also provides the ...

. In April 2021 he was nominated for the EFL Young Player of the Season. On 29 April 2021, he was crowned EFL Young Player of the Season.

Crystal Palace

On 8 July 2021, Olise signed a five-year deal with

side Crystal Palace after they had activated his £8.37 million release clause. On 11 September 2021, he made his Premier League debut for the club in a 3–0 home win against

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

after coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute in place of

Jordan Ayew Jordan Pierre Ayew (born 11 September 1991) is a Ghanaian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger or Forward (association football), forward for club Leicester City F.C., Leicester Cit ...

. Later that month, on 23 September, Olise made his full debut for Crystal Palace in a 1–1 home draw against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

. On 3 October 2021, Olise scored his first Premier League goal for the club as a second-half substitute in a 2–2 home draw against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. In doing so he became Palace's youngest Premier League scorer since Clinton Morrison in 1998. On 9 April 2023, Olise became the youngest player to assist three goals from open play in a single Premier League match in a 5–1 victory against Leeds United. On 13 May, he became the first Palace player to register ten assists in a single Premier League season, setting up Eberechi Eze's second goal in a 2–0 win against

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

. On 17 August 2023, it was announced Olise had signed a new four-year deal with Crystal Palace, amidst reports that he was on the verge of re-joining Chelsea. Olise suffered a hamstring injury described by Palace manager

Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...

as "serious" in a 4–1 defeat by

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

on 3 February 2024, having only just come on as a substitute. He returned from injury in April that year, which was followed by strong performances including scoring a brace in a 4–0 victory over

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

on 6 May. He eventually concluded the season with ten goals and six assists in just 19 appearances across the season, having been invigorated under new coach

Oliver Glasner Oliver Glasner (born 28 August 1974) is an Austrians, Austrian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of Premier League club Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace. A Defe ...

, and was later nominated for

. His impressive form attracted interest from other Premier League clubs including

, Chelsea,

and

. On 7 July, Crystal Palace announced that he had completed a permanent transfer to Bayern Munich, with Olise penning the club a farewell message on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

Bayern Munich

On 7 July 2024,

club

announced the signing of Olise from Crystal Palace on a five-year contract valid through to 30 June 2029, for a reported transfer fee of €60m including add-ons. Olise made his debut as a substitute in a 4–0

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

win against

SSV Ulm SSV Ulm 1846 FUSSBALL e.V., commonly known as SSV Ulm 1846 or SSV Ulm, is a German football club based in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. SSV Ulm 1846 FUSSBALL was formed on 7 March 2009 as new independent club through the separation of the football ...

on 16 August, registering an assist for

Kingsley Coman Kingsley Junior Coman (; born 13 June 1996) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Bayern Munich and the France national team. Trained at Paris Saint-Germain's academy, Coman moved to Juventus in 2014 on the expir ...

's goal within two minutes of entering the pitch. On 14 September, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 6–1 victory over

Holstein Kiel Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e.V., commonly known as Holstein Kiel () or KSV Holstein, is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From the 1900s through the 1960s, the club was o ...

. Three days later, he scored a brace, his first goals at the

Allianz Arena Allianz Arena (; known as Munich Football Arena for UEFA competitions) is a Association football, football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely kno ...

, on his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

debut, a 9–2 win over

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...

. He concluded his debut season with 12 goals and 15 assists, ending as the league's top assist provider. On 15 June 2025, he netted a brace in a 10–0 win against Auckland City in the opening match of the

2025 FIFA Club World Cup The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, also marketed as FIFA Club World Cup 25) is the 21st edition and the first of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, an international club soccer competition organized ...

, before scoring the winner in a 2–1 victory against

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

, securing his club's qualification to the competition's knockout phase.

International career

Olise was born in England to a

father and French-Algerian mother, and was eligible to represent

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

internationally. When asked why he chose to represent France rather than England, Olise said, ‘I have always had a connection with the France national team, that is why I play for France.’ ‘It's been my dream since I was a kid’ to play in the French team.

Youth

On 27 May 2019, Olise was called up to the France national under-18 team for the

2019 Toulon Tournament The 2019 Toulon Tournament (officially ) was the 47th edition of the Toulon Tournament. It was held in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône from 1 to 15 June 2019. England were the defending champions but they were eliminated in the group stage. I ...

. He made his debut on 2 June 2019, against Qatar U23. In March 2021, Olise was named as a standby for the Nigeria squad taking part in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

and

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

. In March 2022, Olise was called up to the France under-21 team for the first time, and made his debut in the side's 2–0 win over the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

on 24 March. On 8 July 2024, he was called up in

's final squad for the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. He had previously received his first cap with the French Olympic team on 4 July during a friendly game against

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. One week later, on 11 July, he scored his first two goals during another friendly match, a 7–0 win against

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. On 24 July, during France's Olympic opener against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he scored a goal, contributing to the team's 3–0 victory. He ended the tournament with two goals and five assists as France finished runners-up, winning the silver medal.

Senior

On 29 August 2024, Olise was called up to the senior France national team for the first time by manager

Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, Engl ...

, for their matches against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in the

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

. He made his debut on 6 September against Italy at the

Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...

, starting the game and playing 58 minutes in a 3–1 loss. On 23 March 2025, he scored his first senior goal for France in a 2–0 win over

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

in the second leg of the Nations League quarter-finals, also recording an assist to help his side overturn a two-goal aggregate deficit and advance to the next stage of the competition.

Style of play

Olise is a left-footed attacking midfielder who can play as a number 10, or either side of this position as a left or right-sided attacking midfielder. He possesses a range of passing skills, which he can often use to play behind the opposition's defense or switch the angle of attack. He likes to operate 50 to 30 yards out from goal in the right half-space, where he can use various options to continue the attack. On the ball, Olise is an agile and mobile player. He is capable of turning quickly with good acceleration and change of pace, even when he is dribbling in very tight spaces or running with the ball. In an interview with Bayern Munich's magazine ''51'', Olise spoke of his idolisation for

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...

as a child, stating that he "liked his tricky style of play. You learn things from lots of players, though - that way you become complete."

Personal life

Olise's younger brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

is also a footballer and joined Chelsea as an Under-9, representing England at youth level.

Career statistics

Club

International

''Scores and results list France's goal tally first.''

Honours

Bayern Munich *

: 2024–25 France U23 *

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

silver medal:

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

France *

third place: 2024–25 Individual *

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

Young Player of the Season: 2020–21 *EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2020–21 * Premier League Goal of the Month: January 2023 *

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...

: 2020–21 Championship *

Scholar of the Season: 2018−19 * Crystal Palace Players' Player of the Season: 2022–23 *Crystal Palace Goal of the Season: 2022–23 * Bundesliga Rookie of the Season: 2024–25 *Bundesliga Player of the Month: April 2025 *Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: October 2024 *Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2024–25 * VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2024–25 *'' kicker''

Team of the Season: 2024–25 * ''The Athletic'' Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2024–25 * ''The Athletic'' Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2024–25 Orders * Knight of the National Order of Merit: 2024

References

External links

Profile
at the FC Bayern Munich website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Olise, Michael 2001 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham English men's footballers French men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Men's association football wingers Chelsea F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Reading F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players FC Bayern Munich footballers English Football League players Premier League players Bundesliga players France men's youth international footballers France men's under-21 international footballers France men's international footballers Olympic footballers for France Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in football Olympic silver medalists for France Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics English expatriate men's footballers French expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany English expatriate sportspeople in Germany French expatriate sportspeople in Germany Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite English people of Algerian descent English people of French descent English people of Nigerian descent French sportspeople of Algerian descent French people of Nigerian descent Sportspeople of Nigerian descent Black French sportspeople Black British sportsmen 21st-century Black British people 21st-century French sportsmen 21st-century English sportsmen