Michael Olise comes from a rich cultural background, born in London to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother. While some sports-biography sites list his religion as Christian, he has not publicly made any clear or consistent statement about his faith.
Quick Profile: Michael Olise
| Full Name | Michael Akpovie Olise |
| Date of Birth | December 12, 2001 |
| Nationality | English (born in London); represents France internationally |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Net Worth | Approximately £10.8 million (2025) |
| Religion | Not publicly disclosed |
What Religion Is Michael Olise?
In public interviews and official profiles, Olise’s religious beliefs are never mentioned. While some athletes like Jamal Musiala (Christian) or Lamine Yamal (Muslim) have their religious affiliations noted, Olise’s is not a topic of public discussion in the same way. One Spanish-language interview with Bayern Munich’s club magazine even quotes Olise saying his identity spans “four countries: France, Algeria, Nigeria and Great Britain,” with no mention of religion. That comment highlights his cultural roots but gives no hint of personal faith. Neither Bayern nor Crystal Palace (his former club) have published anything about his religion.
Early Life
Michael Akpovie Olise was born in White City, West London, on 12 December 2001. He was raised in Hayes (a London suburb) by his Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother. From a young age he learned both English and French (his father spoke English, his mother French). Olise joined local youth setups early on, playing for Hayes & Yeading before moving through the academies of some of England’s biggest clubs. He spent time at Arsenal’s youth academy, then seven years at Chelsea, and a spell at Manchester City. In 2017 he joined Reading’s youth academy, where his talent quickly stood out. Reading named him their “Scholar of the Season” for 2018–19, and by 2019 Olise was making appearances for Reading’s senior team in the Championship.
Career Highlights
After breaking into Reading’s first team, Olise became a star in the English Championship. He made his professional debut for Reading in March 2019 and scored his first senior goal in September 2020. In 2021 he was crowned the EFL Championship Young Player of the Season (for 2020–21). In that season he also earned places in the Championship’s Team of the Season and PFA Team of the Year (Championship). These honors highlighted his standout form as a teenager in England’s second division.
On 8 July 2021, Olise moved to the Premier League by joining Crystal Palace on a five-year contract (Palace paid roughly £8.37m to Reading). He made an immediate impact at Palace. Early on he became the club’s youngest Premier League scorer since 1998. Over three seasons at Palace (2021–24), Olise made 90 appearances and scored 14 goals. He was named Crystal Palace’s Players’ Player of the Season for 2022–23 and also won the club’s Goal of the Season award that year. In January 2023 he won the Premier League’s Goal of the Month for a stunning strike. By the end of 2023–24, despite injury setbacks, Olise had 10 league goals and 9 assists in just 19 games, prompting interest from top clubs.
On 7 July 2024, Bayern Munich announced Olise had signed a five-year deal (to June 2029) for a reported transfer fee of €60 million (including add-ons). He joined a Bayern team rebuilding under new coach Vincent Kompany. Olise scored 10 goals in his first 19 Premier League games in 2023–24, and he continued that form at Bayern. He scored on his Champions League debut for Bayern in September 2024 and finished his first Bundesliga season with 12 goals and 15 assists. His assists led the league, and he earned both the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season and a spot in the Team of the Season.
Earnings and Net Worth
Olise’s football contracts have been lucrative. According to Capology, his current Bayern deal (running through 2029) is worth an estimated €13.51 million per year. This works out to roughly €259,800 gross per week. In total, Capology calculates Olise’s gross career earnings (salaries only) are about €25.0 million to date. (Capology also notes that €54.04 million remains to be paid under his Bayern contract.) These figures do not include transfer fees or endorsements.
Personal Life
Michael Olise keeps a low profile off the pitch. He comes from an athletic family, his father (Vincent Olise) played football at youth level, and his mother was involved in sports as well. His younger brother Richard Olise is also a professional footballer; Richard joined Chelsea’s academy as a boy and has represented England at youth levels.
Michael has mentioned that his parents brought him up bilingually and multicultural; he said he feels “very fortunate” to have French, Algerian, Nigerian and British roots. He is known to be shy and introverted in interviews, one journalist described him as a “man of few words” after a match. Apart from football, Olise enjoys chess, he learned to play from his mother and even plays online matches with teammates like Kingsley Coman (his former teammate) and Joshua Kimmich. (He joked in a Bayern magazine interview that he finds better chances beating Kimmich than Coman at chess.)
Olise has said that Neymar was his favorite player growing up, admiring the Brazilian’s “trick play” style. He continues to live quietly and focus on football, without any public romantic relationships or controversies in the media.
