Sport

Olise’s Rise Shows the Strength of English Football

After Michael Olise starred for Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final first leg at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, Reading FC proudly claimed the winger was “made in Berkshire”.

Olise’s stunning goal was one of nine on the night, and the tie is finely poised with Bayern needing to turn around a one-goal deficit at the Allianz Arena after losing 5-4. With Olise, Harry Kane and Luis Diaz – a front three who have now scored a collective 100 goals this season – at their disposal, that is hardly out of the question.

PSG will certainly have something to say, too. The Champions League semi-final ties seldom disappoint and should be savoured and enjoyed.

For Olise, despite the defeat, it was probably the highlight of a breakout season at the very top of the European game. Ahead of the World Cup, where he is likely to be one of France’s main protagonists, his performances have earned him worldwide attention. While his potential was always clear, he wasn’t always destined for this.

His rise was far from orthodox. He spent time with Chelsea and Manchester City at youth level, but failed to win a contract. When he met former coach Sean Conlon at the age of 14, things changed.

“I played in a really tough, aggressive, seven-a-side league with all semi-pro players and we were short on players,” Conlon told BBC Sport in 2022. I invited Michael, knowing he could cope, and he was the best player every week even at 14.

“He took it in his stride. He knows how good he is and he took to it naturally. People couldn’t believe he was 14. After the games, we’d meet the opposition and tell them his age. The look on their faces was hilarious.

“Michael can be so effective in an 11-a-side game at the top level, but if you put him in street football or cage football, he’ll stand out because he’s so gifted.”

His skill and effervescence developed from there and have helped him become one of the most unique and exciting players around at the moment, not to mention his impenetrable self belief.

But while City and Chelsea didn’t pick Olise up, Reading were the beneficiaries and they have every right to shout about their pride in his journey. English football has such depth to it, a three-tier Football League system and National League, populated by many professional clubs, at the top of non-league.

There are many reasons to be proud of that. Chief among them is the entertainment value and fact that there is competitive football in almost any town or region in the UK. Last Saturday, over 10,000 people attended Rochdale and York City’s final day shootout for promotion to the EFL, with two stoppage time goals sending the drama into overdrive and attracting attention from across the globe.

You simply would not find that anywhere else in the world, that far down the football pyramid.

And Olise’s rise is another benefit. Reading gave him a chance when few others would, before Crystal Palace afforded him a Premier League platform. By the time he joined Bayern for £60m in 2024, he had done the hard yards, and they are reaping the benefits.

English football must treasure the EFL and its unique structure. Many England players have it to thank for their development, and having been born in London, Olise could have been one of them had he not opted to change his allegiance to France.

Doing that at a time with such competition for places felt like a huge risk for Olise and he had to overcome doubts to prove himself. That is nothing new for him.

Now he may be a star for one of the biggest clubs in the world, but as Reading said, he was made in Berkshire. He is yet another example of what helps make the English game so special.