Why doesn’t London-born Michael Olise play for England? France star explains why
The Bayern Munich forward was eligible for five different countries before making the international decision that shaped his career.
Michael Olise has quickly established himself as one of the world’s top soccer stars over the last couple of seasons and has been one of the main reasons behind France’s excellent 2026 World Cup campaign so far. But having been born and raised in England, and having come through the English academy system, why isn’t Olise playing for the Three Lions instead?
The Bayern Munich attacker is just one of 289 players, or 23.3 percent of all participants, who was born in a country different from the one he represents.
Why did Michael Olise choose France?
Born in London to a Franco-Algerian mother and a British-Nigerian father, he had plenty of options when it came to choosing an international team.
In addition to France, Algeria, England and Nigeria, Olise could also have chosen to represent World Cup debutant Haiti. But he always had his heart set on playing for Les Bleus and emulating several of his childhood heroes.
In an interview with Highsnobiety published before the World Cup, Olise gave simple reasons for his decision.
“The players I followed when I was young were French: Zidane, Thierry Henry, Ribéry. And I always came to France when I was young. It felt more natural.”
Additionally, France legend Patrick Vieira, Olise’s former manager at Crystal Palace, told L’Équipe that the 24-year-old had given him another reason, one that presumably doesn’t go down too well with his friends back home in London.
“There was no question of England or anything else,” Vieira said.
“He told me he had always been a supporter of the French national team. And he also explained to me that he had a better chance of becoming a world champion with Les Bleus than with England.”
We’ll find out if that’s true before much longer.
Has Michael Olise ever played for England?
Olise has never represented a country other than France at any level, although he was placed on Nigeria’s standby list for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in 2021. By then, he had already played twice for the France U18 team.
Between 2022 and 2024, Olise represented the France U21 team and also played at the Olympic Games, weeks before earning his first senior call-up for two UEFA Nations League matches in September 2024.
The Bayern star has now made 22 appearances for France, scoring seven goals.
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