From London to Les Bleus: Olise proves his potential in Zidane's new wave

On a cloudy night in Brussels, Michael Olise took nine seconds to showcase his genius and maintain the euphoria around France's new head coach Zinedine Zidane. In France's second match of the group stage of the Uefa Nations League on Monday, his scorching surge from inside his own half left four of Belgium's finest defenders on the deck and France with a 1-0 lead. Zidane, running along the sidelines as Olise veered in on goal, kicked a football from a cone by the pitch in celebration. "I went along with the play and I wanted to be part of it," Zidane smiled sheepishly after the match-winning wonder. "I sensed he was off on a dribble so I wanted to follow him. And then I saw the ball there, and I told myself I had to shoot it. It might be a little bit ridiculous, but it doesn't matter." The 88th-minute strike at the King Baudouin Stadium did matter. Michael Olise, who was born in west London, made his France debut in September 2024. @ AFP - CHARLY TRIBALLEAU The victory allowed France to move to the top of League A Group 1 in the Nations League with two wins from their two outings under Zidane. Italy, on the back of a 4-1 annihilation of Turkey, put Zidane's coaching skills to their next test on Friday night at the Stade de France, where his two goals in July 1998 inspired France to a 3-0 win over Brazil and their first World Cup trophy. Monday night's success helped fuel the momentum Zidane has been riding since taking over as head coach in July from his former international skipper Didier Deschamps. And it confirmed Olise as a heavyweight presence and star performer in Zidane's new wave. Zidane urges players to embrace challenge of playing for France With France captain Kylian Mbappé missing after injuring his left knee when scoring the winner against Turkey on 25 September, Zidane opted – as was his wont in his playing days – for the counterintuitive. He made nine changes to the side that started the game against Turkey in Izmit. Olise was on the bench along with Ousmane Dembélé, Jules Koundé and Adrien Rabiot, who Zidane had anointed as captains in Mbappé's absence. With the seniors looking on, Zidane handed international debuts to defenders Jeremy Jacquet, Andy Diouf and midfielder Lucas Da Cunha – and was vindicated with their rigour, work rate and solidity before Olise's burst of bravura. It was the 24-year-old's first goal for France in nine games, and his eighth since earning the first of his 27 caps for the senior squad on 6 September 2024 against Italy in the 2025 Nations League. Set on France Olise, who was born in west London to parents with Franco-Algerian and Nigerian roots, could have played for England, Nigeria or Algeria. But as a kid who went around in a France football shirt, his heart was set on playing for the national team of his footballing heroes Thierry Henry and Zidane. Former France international Patrick Vieira, who played with both men and who coached Olise at the English Premier League club Crystal Palace, told the British broadcaster ITV: "I had no effect on him choosing France. "He was 100 percent sure about what he wanted to do and he told me that he wanted to play for the French national team," added Vieira, who was boss at Crystal Palace between July 2021 and March 2023. "His mind was [on] the French national team. He told me: 'I want to go to the World Cup and I want to win the World Cup.'" Michael Olise joined Crystal Palace in July 2021 from second-tier Reading. @ AP - Dave Thompson Fan favourite Olise, who joined Crystal Palace for £9 million (around €10.6 million) from second-division Reading in July 2021, was an instant success. "Palace fans looked at him and said that he was exactly the sort of player we should be trying to bring in – young, exciting, with bags of potential," said Keith Powell of the Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association. "Those types of players are given the platform to perform at Palace that they wouldn't get at other Premier League clubs." Powell, a Palace supporter since the late 1960s, recalls a player who was popular with the fans. "He was a very quiet sort of person. He never used to go over the top," the 73-year-old added. "We've all followed what he's done for Bayern Munich and for France. And one of the things that all the Palace fans were really pleased about when he left was that he went abroad and didn't go to another Premier League club... so he wouldn't have to play against us!" Michael Olise made 90 appearances for Crystal Palace before leaving for Bayern Munich. He scored 16 times for the south-east Londoners and laid on the pass for 25 goals. @ AP - Dave Thompson The German heavyweights convinced Olise to depart for nearly €60 million in July 2024, after 90 appearances in which he scored 16 times and set up 25 goals. "We respect his desire to further test himself at the highest level of world football," said Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parrish at the time. "And I would like to personally wish him the very best for his next adventure with Bayern Munich, which I'm sure we will all follow closely." After a debut Bundesliga campaign in which he provided a league high of 15 assists, Olise was named rookie of the season as Bayern won a record-extending 33rd title. He also featured on the shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, which went in the end to Paris Saint-Germain's Dembélé. Michael Olise has won five trophies, including two Bundesliga crowns, since arriving at Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace in July 2024. @ AP Photo/Matthias Schrader In 2025-26, he became the first Bundesliga player to claim back-to-back awards for most assists. His feats propelled him to the Bundesliga's Player of the Season prize. He also won the 2026 French players' union award for the best Frenchman in a foreign league, and has been nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Though Bayern fell to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final of the Champions League, they won a 34th Bundesliga crown and the German Cup for the 21st time. Ballon d'Or is not an obsession, France's star striker Mbappé tells RFI World Cup debut After all the club success, Olise's first trip to the World Cup started dismally. In the Group I opener against Senegal in New Jersey on 16 June, Deschamps deployed him on the right wing. Against a rugged Senegal back line, France's attacking trident of Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise looked blunt. For the second half, Deschamps moved Olise into the centre and repositioned Dembélé on the right. Olise set up Mbappé's opener mid-way through the half and earned a man-of-the-match award in the 3-1 victory. There were two assists in a 3-0 win over Sweden in the last 32 and by the time France lost 6-4 to England in the third-place play-off, Olise had provided passes that had led to seven goals during the competition – the most since records began at the 1966 World Cup. Unsurprisingly, Olise featured in the 2026 Team of the Tournament, along with compatriots Mbappé and Dayot Upamecano. French fans come to terms with World Cup exit after Spain defeat Olise is expected to be restored to France's starting line-up for the Italy game as part of Zidane's latest gambit. In Germany, Bild newspaper has reported that Bayern are eager to extend Olise's contract past 2029 and will offer him a salary of €24 million a year, making him one of the club's highest earners. A release clause of €200 million has also been rumoured. It's far cry from what Crystal Palace paid Reading five years ago for a callow, but very promising, youth. "You could tell he was going places," said Palace fan Powell. "I mean, some of the goals he scored for Palace were outstanding. And we've seen him do the same sort of free kicks and shots at Bayern and France that he was doing at Palace. "So we're not surprised at how well he's done. I think it's great."