If Michael Olise secures a World Cup title, a small green space in a Hayes housing estate will forever represent his beginnings in France. It was here, at just seven years old, that he developed his football skills alongside his brother, Richard. “Football in these conditions, it’s just freedom,” Olise shared with L’Équipe last month. “It’s not really learning in the strict sense. It was simply the pleasure of playing football. I just loved it.”
Sean Conlon, one of Olise’s early mentors with Old Isleworthians in west London, reflects on those crucial years.
“I would go over to his house and he would be practising outside with Richard. That little estate probably really aided him; there weren’t a lot of cars but it had quite a lot of concrete open space and then a small green. He’d just be practising out here all the time, obsessed with football.”
A decade later, Olise found a home at Reading after being overlooked by both Chelsea and Manchester City’s academies. Brendan Flanagan, the academy scout who played a key role in his recruitment, remembers a significant match. “We were playing Sparta Prague in the European Under-21 Cup,” Flanagan recalls. “I got there at half‑time. Michael was about 17 and on the bench. I sat in front of [the former Crystal Palace and West Ham player] Hayden Mullins, who used to work for us and who I got on well with. Michael came on with 17 minutes to go. Within five minutes Hayden leaned over to me and said: ‘Who the fuck is that?!’ I just started laughing. And Hayden said: ‘Come on then, tell me, where did you find this one?’ So I explained the story …”
This experience underscores the surprising lapse by Chelsea and City, who allowed Olise—now a standout at the World Cup and in contention for the Ballon d’Or—to slip through their grasp, while also shedding light on the complexities surrounding his international representation due to his English upbringing.
Conlon recalls first observing Olise at age six, stating, “When I first saw him play for Hayes when he was six what stood out was his physical movement,”
After coaching at Chelsea, Conlon brought Olise into their academy when he was nine. His talent drew the attention of City, who initially signed him—he was in the same age group as Cole Palmer and just a year behind Phil Foden—yet released him at 16. He returned to Conlon, who oversees an academy named We Make Footballers, just as he was searching for a professional club. Flanagan, prompted by a recommendation for Olise, faced initial skepticism from his colleagues.
“He glides around the pitch: very graceful, perfect coordination, everything effortless. The way he moves today was how he moved when he was six. That’s something he’s been born with. People say he’s the best player England has ever developed.” Flanagan explains. “There was a lot of scepticism from various members of staff at Reading that he would be a bad egg,”
Conlon shares Flanagan’s viewpoint, noting that other scouts questioned why Olise was cut from such esteemed academies. “[They said]: ‘He’s been released by Chelsea, by Man City. We shouldn’t be bringing him in. He’ll be a problem.’ I said: ‘Look, let’s just get the kid in and make our decision.’”
Despite the lengthy commute from London for training, Reading arranged a shuttle service for London-based players to reach the training ground. “All the other scouts were: ‘He’s just come out of Manchester City, he’s just come out of Chelsea, why have they not kept him on?’ They were half and half. They could see him and say: ‘Why are we not taking this talent?’ But Reading were the ones that committed.” Flanagan recalls. “On his first day I got a call from him at the station and he was asking: ‘Where do I need to pick the bus up please?’”
“I directed him to the shuttle bus but everything was ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and I thought to myself: ‘This ain’t a bad kid. He’s just a kid who’s a bit misunderstood, different.’ “And we never had a problem with him. He wasn’t ever a bad lad. He was always an intelligent, quiet lad who just expressed himself a bit differently. What wasn’t right for them [City and Chelsea]… well, we’re just little old Reading down the M4. We can work with these kids.”
Olise quickly advanced to Reading’s under-21s, where Flanagan and Mullins witnessed his exceptional performance against Sparta Prague. “He was absolutely unbelievable that day,” Flanagan states. “Hayden and I shook hands at the end and said: ‘This kid will play for the first team by the end of the season.’”
Not long after, Olise received an invitation to join the first-team training sessions from then-manager José Gomes. “That Saturday he was on the bench and he made his debut soon after. The manager obviously saw him and thought: ‘Oh my God! This kid is unbelievable.’”
Interestingly, England never reached out to him. Olise acknowledges his diverse heritage, saying.
“I actually come from four countries,”
At that moment, he wasn’t on England’s radar. “France, Algeria, Nigeria and Great Britain. I consider myself very lucky to possess these four parts, which all enrich me. I’ve developed attachments in all my countries. When I was growing up in London, we regularly visited Algeria, Nigeria and France. My dad always spoke English with me at home, my mum, French.” Flanagan admits. “We weren’t as attractive a club,”
While England was fostering a golden generation of talent, a reform of club academies initiated in 2012 created a solid foundation for the national team. Among his contemporaries were Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, and Noni Madueke, with Jude Bellingham and Germany’s Jamal Musiala—who were at Chelsea and playing for England—just a year younger. The Football Association must find it frustrating that the best creative player at the World Cup, born in England, is now representing France. Olise currently leads the tournament with five assists.
“It’s slightly changed now but back then, for England, generally, you had to come from Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. France reached out to us and we spoke to Michael. I think they were given information that there was a French connection. They were the first one who selected him [for the under-18s] and, even though England came in for him for the under-20s, he was happy where he was.” Flanagan reflects. “Could I see he would reach the levels that he’s reached?”
“I don’t think anyone could. Some kids do look like they might be a Ballon d’Or contender at 16 and then kind of level out. But Michael was on a trajectory that went up and up and up and he still hasn’t levelled off. He just seems to be getting better and better. He’s always had a picture in his head, saw things quicker than anyone else and had the ability to find a way to make the pass. But he’s just gone to another level.” Conlon adds. “With the under-eights, we say to the kids: ‘One day you’re going to win the World Cup. One day you’re going to win the Champions League. This is why you have to have these standards.’ You preach it and now we’ve actually had someone go and do it.”
This situation presents a dilemma for Olise’s childhood mentors: what happens if England faces France in the World Cup final? “I’m going to be sat on the fence,” Flanagan admits. “Obviously I want Michael to do well. But obviously I want England to win as well. So I probably won’t watch the game and stay out of the way.”
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