The journey of Michael Olise is one of a great English fumble.
Born in Hammersmith, west London, the 24-year-old once graced the academies of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. He made his name at Reading and Crystal Palace.
Yet he is playing for Bayern Munich, and will this summer line up alongside Kylian Mbappe and Co in a formidable France team at the World Cup.
Your imagination need not stretch too far to picture him winning a Champions League-World Cup double and, who knows, maybe a Ballon d’Or to boot.
And boy he is special. Those who recall watching him at Selhurst Park, the Madejski Stadium and park pitches back in the day remember a talented kid full of tricks, creativity and potential.
Now he is all that and much more, a genuine world-beater and a cog as vital as anyone for an imperious Bayern side.
Michael Olise is fast emerging as one of the superstars of European football – you wouldn’t be surprised if he ended the year with a World Cup and Champions League winner’s medal
Though he grew up in England, France international Olise won’t be replicating his club connection with Harry Kane at the World Cup
They have boss Vincent Kompany, cementing his status as one of the brightest young coaches in the game, Harry Kane scoring a career-best 49 goals this season with games to spare, and former Liverpool winger Luis Diaz elevating his game to new heights.
Serge Gnabry, now 30, is rediscovering his best form. Their midfield has a dose of typical German efficiency, with a spin on it from Pep Guardiola disciple Kompany – who is the same age as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, enjoying a late-career renaissance.
Olise, though, is the name on everyone’s lips. He was majestic in the first leg of Bayern’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid last week. Whether peeling off the wing or dominating down the middle, the lad they bought for £52million is a joy to watch.
Former Chelsea coach Sean Conlon first saw Olise when he was six years old, playing for Hayes and Yeading – the club he joined after his parents, Vincent and Mina, saw an advert in their local paper, the Hayes Gazette. Conlon invited Olise to play for an Under 8s team full of players training at the Blues’ Cobham HQ.
‘He was such an incredible player, even at that age,’ Conlon tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘His physical movement was much like it is today. Elegant patterns, efficient running style and extremely coordinated. Then at Under 8s he went to another level, his intelligence began to shine through.
‘It’s a combination of things that make Michael so special. His amazing family upbringing – Mina and Vincent are incredible people who have done a fantastic job raising Michael and his brother Richard (who is now at Chelsea).
‘They gave them good values and supported them to achieve their dreams.’
Michael Richards, Olise’s coach at Hayes Under 7s, adds: ‘From the first training session, you could see he was in a completely different stratosphere to the rest of the kids. It was basically the Michael and Bukayo show. Both of them were exceptional, far above everyone else.’
Olise (right) with coach Sean Conlon, his brother Richard and their dad Vincent during his academy days at Chelsea
And at his first senior club Reading, who landed an important windfall when Olise moved to Bayern
Richards is, of course, referring to Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal and England star was playing for Greenford Celtic just down the road from Olise’s team and the pair were the best players in the area by some distance.
It is understood they have kept in touch and, when Saka picked up a nasty hamstring injury last year, Olise reached out with a message of support. A Bayern-Arsenal final is a possibility with the teams set to avoid each other in the semi-finals, should they both progress on Wednesday.
Saka is not Olise’s only pal at the Gunners. He remains in touch with Eberechi Eze after spending three years together at Crystal Palace. The pair used to take a chess board to away games and play in the hotel, improving by watching YouTube tutorials.
Like his online chess tournaments, Olise is regularly one step ahead of opponents on the football pitch. He has registered 29 assists this season, and scored 17 goals. Last season he managed 23 assists and 20 goals, which makes it 89 goal contributions in his last 97 Bayern games.
From the big five European leagues, only Kane and Mbappe – his pals for club and country – have more in the last two years.
‘His physicality has allowed him to be extremely agile and clean with his movements to receive the ball in all kinds of situations, as well as find ways to unbalance and evade opponents,’ adds Conlon, who now works in Miami growing his franchise, We Make Footballers, in the US.
‘Michael’s personality makes him think different to normal footballers. He has also experienced a lot of different levels of football. As a person he is a footballer through and through. He just loves the game so much. He’s very polite and just loves the game.
‘Every club in the world would like to have Michael in their team. Whether that’s France or England, Real Madrid or even the lads from my Goals Team who still ask if I will ever get him to play again!’
‘His physicality has allowed him to be extremely agile and clean with his movements to receive the ball in all kinds of situations, as well as find ways to unbalance and evade opponents’
Olise is still firm friends with his former Crystal Palace team-mate and chess opponent Eberechi Eze (right)
Back in Berkshire, Reading – who gave a 15-year-old Olise a home when he was released by City – remain thankful for him due to sell-on fees from his move to Bayern. ‘Michael’s a guy I’ve never met but I thank him every night,’ jokes chairman Rob Couhig, who took charge of the Royals after a turbulent time that threatened their existence.
The money from Olise is still felt at the League One play-off chasers now.
They might not be so thankful at Chelsea, who thought they had signed him in 2023 only for Olise to extend his deal at Palace – much to the delight of supremo Steve Parish. Now at Bayern, they talk of him not being for sale at any price, even if it is a world-record fee.
Like at Stamford Bridge, regret will be felt at FA offices when Olise runs out for France this summer. He had the pick of four nations thanks to his British-Nigerian father and Franco-Algerian mother, and has said he always felt a ‘connection’ with the French team.
Certainly the chemistry between England’s captain Kane and the man who has assisted him 12 times for Bayern this season would have been an invaluable weapon for Thomas Tuchel.
But instead a talented boy who graced five professional English clubs is now the main man for one of the Three Lions’ main tournament rivals. Forged on the park pitches and cages of south London, Olise now has the world at his feet.
