Language barrier no issue for Michael Olise as he becomes key man in national team
Michael Olise isn’t much of a talker, but he's settling into the France squad just fine.
This is despite a report in France suggesting he is struggling to get to grips with the language. Bayern Munich winger Olise is becoming an increasingly important figure with Les Bleus, scoring his first goal during their Nations League clash with Croatia on Sunday night.
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And the Hammersmith-born wide man is apparently being targeted by manager Didier Deschamps as one player he wants to get closer to ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Olise was born in London to a Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother, and never hid his desire to play for them, having represented the nation all the way up from Under-18 level.
Having played in the academies of Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, Olise broke through at Crystal Palace before a £51million move to Bayern Munich.
He’s since shone with the Bundesliga leaders, but already showed his love for France before playing in Bavaria.
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The 23-year-old featured at France’s home summer Olympics when numerous players rejected a call-up from Theirry Henry, or they were blocked by their clubs.
Olise, though, scored two goals and recorded five assists on the way to a final defeat against Spain.
He did try speaking French during press conferences, but has never been much of a public speaker anyway, as showcased by some iconic blunt interviews while playing for Palace.
Olise has now made six appearances for Deschamp’s senior squad, having always dreamed of it since childhood.
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Discussing the attacker’s passion during the Olympics, Henry said: "That desire to want to play for France…I got goosebumps when I talked to him about it.
"When he showed us that desire, we were in a period where we had a lot of uncertainty [players rejecting selection].
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“But he preferred to play for France rather than England. Why? Because it's his dream and when someone has a dream, you can put anything you like in their way, they're still going to make it come true."
Reflecting on his time with Henry, Olise said: “The Olympics were the best football experience of my life.
“It was fantastic, especially in France. We did a lot of preparatory work leading up to the competition, and the team was able to come together and move forward together.
“We were close. Traveling around the country, I felt a fervor, the power of being at home.
“From the start, we told ourselves we had to do something solid. Everyone gave their all in every match.
"I don't know if I was very well known in France before that. I had only played with the youth teams, but I think the Games allowed people to get to know me."
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Les Bleus had a mountain to climb going into their clash with Croatia on Sunday night having lost the first leg 2-0.
But Olise set them on their way to taking the tie to extra time with a pinpoint free kick over the wall and into the top right-hand corner of goal early in the second half.
Ousmane Dembele struck on 80 minutes to ensure the tie would go to extra time.
The winners of this tie will face either Spain or the Netherlands in the semi-finals.