France star Michael Olise ready for PSG after rapid rise from Reading to Bayern Munich

Michael Olise has enjoyed a stellar first season at Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga title, making his France debut and earning eight caps.

At club level, the gifted forward has become indispensable for Vincent Kompany’s side, registering three goals and two assists in four appearances at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Now Olise, 23, is set to face a handful of his France team-mates – Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé – when Bayern take on Paris St-Germain in Saturday’s quarter-final in Atlanta.

That adds huge intrigue to what is already arguably the tie of the round – in a tournament where every game is being shown live and free on DAZN – as the champions of France and Germany clash.

(Getty Images)

PSG had an amazing 2024-25 season. Their stunning 5-0 win over Inter Milan in Munich saw them clinch their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.

That monumental success completed a historic treble for the Parisian side, who already captured the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France trophies during the campaign.

Now, as they bid to add the Club World Cup to their bulging trophy cabinet, rising France star Olise is out to wreck their hopes and prove to several of his international team-mates just how good he is.

Bayern’s other Frenchmen – Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey and Dayot Upamecano – will also be keen to make their mark.

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As a club they have been known for their strong links to French players, often referred to as the 'French Connection'.

Take the likes of Jean-Pierre Papin, Bixente Lizarazu, Willy Sagnol, Valérien Ismaël, Franck Ribéry, Coman and Corentin Tolisso.

Now Olise looks set to join that esteemed group after taking a circuitous journey to Munich.

He was born in London to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother, so is eligible to play for England, France, Algeria and Nigeria.

Olise spent three seasons at Crystal Palace, where he made 90 appearances, before joining Bayern in a £60 million deal last July.

The Bundesliga giants beat off competition from Chelsea and Newcastle United to sign a player who spent time in the youth ranks at Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City before settling at Reading.

He made his professional debut for the Royals in 2019, in the Championship, at the age of 17.

Olise was named the 2020/21 Championship Young Player of the Year and his performances earned him a subsequent £8 million move to Selhurst Park.

He thrived immediately in the Premier League in a team featuring fellow wing wizard Eberechi Eze and it quickly became clear he was destined for greatness.

Olise’s goals, assists and general performances for Palace attracted interest from clubs all over Europe.

That prompted Gareth Southgate to try and persuade Olise to switch international allegiance from France to England.

It led to a tug-of-war over his national side, and in the end, Olise stayed with France, which he represented at the Under-18 and Under-21 levels.

His star continued to rise at Palace and the 2023-24 season saw Olise score a career-best ten goals and earn a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Moving to Bayern has seen Olise’s career reach new heights as an increasingly important player for club and country.

He has been a virtual ever-present for Kompany’s side and broke into the senior France side following his impressive displays for their under-23s at the Paris Olympics last summer.

Despite being shy off the pitch, Olise has certainly done his talking on it with many goals and assists.

He scored twice and created another two during the record-breaking opening 10-0 win over Auckland City and then scored a late winner against Boca Juniors in their second group game.

Now he is primed to prove himself against the best team in Europe in one of the biggest matches of his career so far.

Should Bayern see off PSG, they will face Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final.

The motivation for Olise and his team could not be greater.

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