The ex-Crystal Palace winger doesn't say much, but he's letting his feet do the talking ahead of his return to England to face Aston Villa
Whenever a top young talent joins an elite European club, there's always a question mark over how they'll cope with the pressure. The spotlight shines so much brighter on the game's grandest stages and some players – no matter how much ability they have – simply can't handle the increased scrutiny.
There was, thus, some mild concern at the Allianz Arena when Michael Olise barely strung two sentences together during his official unveiling as a Bayern Munich player in August. When asked whether he preferred creating or scoring goals, the former Crystal Palace shook his head, smiled politely and said, "Whatever… Both." On the differences between the Premier League and the Bundesliga, he could only say, "I think, probably it will be a bit different but, I don't know…"
As first impressions go, it really wasn't great. Olise looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world at that moment. However, as relieved Bayern fans have quickly come to realise, this is a player who much prefers to express himself on the pitch rather than in the press room.
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'Shot. Scored.'
Those who have been following Olise's progress closely over the past few years – from his professional breakthrough at Reading, after making a name for himself at under-age level at Chelsea and Manchester City, to his emergence as a Premier League star at Crystal Palace – are already familiar with Olise's monosyllabic response to reporters' questions.
During one infamous interview after a victory over West Ham, he was asked to describe his 94th-minute winner. Olise replied, "I think Wilf (Zaha) passed me the ball. Shot. Scored."
His amusingly taciturn nature didn't prevent him becoming one of the most coveted youngsters in world football, though. Chelsea tried desperately to re-sign him last year, while Manchester United were heavily linked during the summer before Bayern eventually won the race for his signature.
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Choosing France over England
It's also worth remembering that he was also the subject of a tug-of-war at international level, on account of the fact that he was born in London to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother. However, in Olise's mind, France was only country he ever wanted to represent – much to the delight of Thierry Henry, who included the 22-year-old in his squad for this year's Olympics in Paris.
"I got goosebumps when I talked to him about it," Henry admitted. "He preferred to play for France rather than England – why? Because it's his dream and when someone has a dream, you can put anything you like in their way, they're still going to make it come true."
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'Haven't seen anything yet!'
France's hopes of winning a gold medal on home soil were ultimately dashed in the men's football final by Spain, who triumphed 5-3 after extra-time in an epic encounter at the Parc des Princes. However, Olise had been one of the stars of the show, involved in seven goals in total, scoring two himself.
Henry was immensely proud of the versatile attacking midfielder's performances but not in the least bit surprised by them. "This is just the beginning," the striking icon declared. "I hope so for his sake anyway. Of course, we don't want to jinx him. But you don't often get players like this.
"He has enormous quality – and you haven't seen anything yet." Henry was spot on.
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'Like a young Ribery or Robben'
Olise may not have impressed in his first press conference as a Bayern player, but he wasted little time becoming a fan favourite at the Allianz Arena. As coach Vincent Kompany conceded, "Michel's start at FC Bayern couldn't be much better."
He's already scored five goals in seven appearances in all competitions for his new club – only Harry Kane has more so far this season – while he's also chipped in with three assists.
Hardly surprising, therefore, that Bayern's board are feeling pretty pleased with themselves right now, as it's already looking like they've landed themselves a €60 million (£50m/$66m) bargain and a strong early contender for signing of the season.
Indeed, sporting director Max Eberl has already felt compelled to compare Olise to two of the finest attackers to ever grace the Allianz Arena.
"Michael is a player who, like a young (Franck) Ribery or a young (Arjen) Robben, can achieve extraordinary things," he recently enthused.