How Michael Olise Became France's "Phenomenon"

The footballers who make us fall in love with the game usually possess a unique charisma. Thierry Henry had it, and the fact that this idol of the 90s generation is now so impressed by Michael Olise should tell you that the 24-year-old Frenchman is a full member of that same elite club.

Kids want to watch him, follow him, copy him. Olise practically awakens the child in Henry, who gladly describes the French international as a "freak," a "phenomenon," "on another planet," "different," and "their most important player" – even when Kylian Mbappé is on the same team.

Everything about him seems so effortless, cool, and carefree. Yet, Olise could easily have been in Kansas City with England, training alongside his Bayern Munich teammate Harry Kane and preparing for a match against Norway in Miami this Saturday. He could have been Thomas Tuchel's rebel, not Didier Deschamps'.

Ultimately, Olise was born in White City, near Shepherd's Bush, and grew up in Hayes, close to Heathrow. His mother, Mina, is of French-Algerian descent, and his father, Vincent, is Nigerian. Michael's younger brother, 21-year-old Richard from Chelsea's academy, has represented England at youth level.

Nevertheless, Olise has always had his sights set on France. The forward himself explains that he simply felt a stronger connection when it came time to choose. He grew up a Francophile through his mother. He visited the country regularly, enjoyed the culture, liked learning the language, and grew up with idols like Henry, Zinedine Zidane, and Nicolas Anelka – so much so that he envisioned himself wearing the blue jersey.

It's reported that the French Football Federation was the first to contact Olise after being informed of his eligibility to represent the country. The English FA might regret not fighting harder for him earlier, considering he had a typical English football upbringing and was well-known within the system. But alas.

If you delve into youth football circles, you'll find stories of Olise's talent from a very young age. They begin when he was six and his parents spotted an advertisement in the local "Hayes Gazette" seeking children for a new team. Olise joined, and in one Hayes Youth match, his parents got lost on the way.

They arrived at halftime, with Hayes trailing 2-0. Olise came on, scored a hat-trick, and his team won 3-2. Olise's U7 coach, Michael Richards, previously described the youngster to "Daily Mail Sport" as being "on a completely different stratosphere."

There were always scouts lurking, eager to be introduced to Mina and Vincent. Bukayo Saka played for Greenford Celtic, about eight kilometers away, so he and Olise occasionally faced each other. While Saka joined Arsenal's academy, Olise chose Chelsea at seven years old, so it's not just the English national team that has reasons for regret.

Sean Conlan is the scout who recommended Olise to Chelsea, while also coaching him individually through his company "We Make Footballers," specializing in developing children aged 4 to 12. Conlan is immensely proud of those he's helped turn professional and always speaks positively about Olise. Among his comments, you'll hear that his "footballing intelligence is top-tier" and that he was, and continues to be, "unpredictable" as a player.

Olise, however, had to undergo trials at Chelsea to receive a full invitation to their Cobham base. A source familiar with the 2009 tryout recounts an amusing story. The then seven-year-old Olise reportedly showed up for his Chelsea trial wearing a Manchester United shirt. Apparently, this didn't deter them much, but in 2016, at the age of 14, Olise was released.

A source who worked with Olise at Chelsea describes it as a "mutual decision," while others claim the decision was more the club's due to attitude issues. A common anecdote tells of him standing aside juggling a ball while teammates performed routine warm-up drills. His coach told him to join the others or go home. Olise kicked the ball into the air and went home alone. It's worth noting that at least one other Chelsea source described Olise to "Daily Mail Sport" as a "very polite boy" and "reserved," suggesting he might have been more misunderstood than mischievous.

Aside from a trial at Manchester City, Olise spent about six months without an academy until Reading gave him a chance. Mark Bowen arrived at Reading in March 2019 as technical director before taking over the first team. In a previous interview with "Daily Mail Sport," Bowen described him as possessing "an arrogance, and I mean that in a good way."

Olise was fearless; afraid of no one. According to Bowen, he would challenge Reading's more experienced players to try and take the ball from him, confident they stood no chance. Sometimes they accepted the invitation, which often resulted in a foul against Olise, but this helped him develop his physical resilience.

However, some of the same issues cited by Chelsea sources were also evident at Reading. Olise was reportedly frustrated while still part of the U23 squad. Punctuality wasn't his strong suit; he often arrived last for team meetings. If a training session focused on defense, Olise couldn't grasp its benefit and wasn't shy about asking why.

However, we know what happened next. Olise matured and focused on his Premier League performances and beyond. After impressing at Reading, Crystal Palace activated his £8 million release clause. "Daily Mail Sport" recalls a visit to their training ground in January 2023, while Patrick Vieira was manager.

"We were in Vieira's office, and he told us how he had spoken to Olise because he hadn't celebrated his equalizing free-kick goal in added time during the 1-1 draw with Manchester United," the publication shared. "You might look at that and think it's arrogance," Vieira told them. "But I spoke to him, and the reason was that he wasn't happy with his performance. He was too self-critical because he felt he hadn't played well enough."

Leaving Palace's training ground, passing through the canteen, the journalists encountered Olise playing chess with Eberechi Eze. The two were just leaving, and as a sign of good manners, each shook hands with all the kitchen staff before heading home.

At the end of the 2023-24 season, Bayern signed Olise for £52 million, after Chelsea reportedly withdrew from the race due to his salary demands. Those at Stamford Bridge might now believe he would have been worth the money. He could have been theirs, and England's too. Instead, Bayern and France are grateful to have him – a player who is still only 24, a potential future Ballon d'Or winner, and perhaps soon a world champion.

Based on a "Daily Mail" report