Michael Olise: Why France Star Plays for Les Bleus and Not Super Eagles
- Michael Olise was eligible to represent four national teams before committing to France, including Nigeria through his father's heritage
- Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr revealed that Nigeria attempted to recruit Olise around 2019 and 2020 when he was at Reading
- Olise has spoken openly about the childhood influences that shaped his international allegiance, pointing to specific French football legends
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Michael Olise's choice to wear the colours of France rather than Nigeria, England or Algeria has remained one of the more debated topics among Super Eagles supporters in recent years, given how closely his background ties him to multiple countries.
Olise was born on December 12, 2001, in Hammersmith, west London, and grew up in Hayes.
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His father, Vincent Olise, carries British-Nigerian heritage, while his mother, Mina, is French-Algerian.
That combination gave the Bayern Munich winger an unusually wide range of international options before he eventually committed to Les Bleus.
How Olise's international options took shape
England was available through Olise's birthplace, France and Algeria through his mother, and Nigeria through his father, talkSPORT reports.
His club career also unfolded in England, with Olise coming through the youth academies of Chelsea, Manchester City and Reading before breaking into Reading's senior squad.
The 24-year-old winger later joined Crystal Palace and then completed a high-profile move to Bayern Munich in 2024.
Despite spending his formative years in England, Olise built a deep connection with France through regular childhood visits and family ties.
According to Bavarian Football Works, he has said that French was the language he and his mother use almost exclusively, and that familiarity extended into his relationship with French football.
Speaking to Highsnobiety, Olise explained his thinking clearly:
"The players I followed when I was young were French: [Zinedine] Zidane, Thierry Henry, [Franck] Ribéry. And I always came to France when I was young. It felt more natural."
That statement cuts to the heart of why a player with Nigerian eligibility ended up in the French national setup.
His allegiance was shaped less by calculated sporting ambition and more by genuine cultural familiarity built over many years.
Nigeria's attempt to snap Olise
Nigeria was not passive in this situation as former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr confirmed that his coaching staff tracked Olise's development and made attempts to recruit him around 2019 and 2020, during his time at Reading in the English Championship.
Olise was reportedly placed on a standby list for Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
He declined the approach, however, choosing to keep his options open as his career continued to develop.
His path to the senior France team included representing Les Bleus at the Paris Olympics before earning his full international debut under manager Didier Deschamps.
Once capped at senior level by France, his international future was settled.
For Super Eagles fans, the outcome is a familiar one.
A player with Nigerian roots, admired for his technical quality and direct style of play, committed to another national team before Nigeria could secure his allegiance.
Olise's own words suggest the decision was driven by personal identity rather than ambition alone, shaped by a childhood spent closely connected to French football, French culture and the players he grew up watching.
Kayode explains why he rejected Nigeria
In a related development, Legit.ng reported about Brentford defender Michael Kayode’s decision to represent Italy after Nigeria approached him about playing for the Super Eagles.
The 22-year-old said the choice was easy after progressing through every level of Italy’s youth teams. He also scored the decisive goal in the final as Italy won the European Under-19 Championship.
Source: Legit.ng
