Michael Olise’s journey to becoming one of football’s most exciting players began with a characteristically defiant act at just seven years old.

As his family prepared him for a trial at Chelsea, the young Olise issued an ultimatum to his loved ones: he would only attend if he could wear his Manchester United shirt.

So there he was, trialling for one of England’s biggest clubs while proudly sporting the colours of their fiercest rivals, a sign of things to come throughout his career.

Olise later earned a place in an England Under-15s camp after impressing in Chelsea’s academy, but was thrown out for poor behaviour and never returned to the fold.

He subsequently chose to represent France instead, publicly detailing his personal “connection” with the country, a decision that has paid off spectacularly on the international stage.

During his academy days at Chelsea, one well-respected coach confronted Olise during a training session, instructing him to “come here or go back inside,” and the teenager simply booted the ball in the air and walked inside himself.

Sources described Olise as slightly difficult to control during his time at the club, with parents of his teammates occasionally surprised at what he was permitted to get away with.

On one occasion at St George’s Park, Olise got hold of his teammates’ room keys and poured water on their beds, leaving them an unpleasant surprise, though he remained well liked throughout.

Chelsea tolerated his behaviour for seven years because of his extraordinary talent, but decided enough was enough when he turned 14 and showed no signs of changing his ways.

After a brief trial with Manchester City, Olise lasted only “three or four weeks” before being released from their academy due to further misbehaviour, with some believing he was simply rebelling because he missed his friends back home.

A trial at Reading followed, and in 2018 he was inducted into their academy scholarship programme before making his debut in March 2019, gradually beginning to mature in Berkshire.

His confidence and ambition were laid bare when a leaked Instagram direct message showed Olise telling a girl: “I’m on bigger things, won’t catch me playing for a small Championship team for too long.”

While undoubtedly disrespectful to Reading, the club he spent four years with, Olise proved he was true to his word when Crystal Palace paid £8million to take him to Selhurst Park.

Palace did their due diligence on concerns about his attitude stemming from his academy days but found Olise had genuinely knuckled down, and his performances on the pitch confirmed it.

His rise at Palace prompted Chelsea to come back for their former academy player in June 2024, with those earlier attitude concerns having long since vanished from the conversation.

Chelsea contacted their London rivals for permission to speak with Olise and his entourage, but were ultimately priced out of a move because BlueCo did not want to break their wage structure.

Instead, Olise moved to Bayern Munich, where he has gone above and beyond all expectations, with sources saying he carries an unmatched level of confidence in his own ability.

His self-assurance, his pranks, his maverick persona, and his misbehaviour are all ingredients that have shaped the player and personality the entire football world has grown to love watching.

One source told football.london that if things had continued the way they were at Chelsea’s academy, the footballer the world sees today simply would not exist in the same form.

For Chelsea fans, there is double regret: once for releasing a 14-year-old maverick, and again for failing to meet his financial demands when they had the chance to bring him home.

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