From Crystal Palace to Europe's creator-in-chief: How Michael Olise became 'the best winger in the world' at Bayern Munich

Bayern's decision to pay Crystal Palace €60m for Olise during the summer of 2024 was queried by many pundits. There was no disputing his potential; Olise had broken a number of 'youngest-ever' records at Selhurst Park, while Thierry Henry was blown away by his raw talent while working with the right-winger for the duration of France's Olympic campaign.

"He's got incredible qualities, and you ain't seen nothing yet, it's only the start," the striking icon said before Olise had even played a game for Bayern. "It's not often that you get players like that."

Still, while Henry was adamant that the Bavarians had got themselves a bargain, others viewed Olise as something of a gamble, given he'd been twice sidelined by hamstring problems during the 2023-24 season.

Now, though, Olise is now being hailed as "the best Bundesliga transfer of the last 10 years" by World Cup winner Christoph Kramer - and that's partly due to his Salah-like availability. The 24-year-old hasn't missed a single match through injury since arriving at the Allianz Arena, much to the delight of coach Vincent Kompany.

"Michael had his fair share of injuries at Crystal Palace, but what he does off the field for the good of his health at his young age is incredible," the Belgian gushed. "If he keeps doing things like this, he'll stay fit for a long time, and he'll continue to develop as a player."

The uninterrupted run of matches has played a key role in Olise taking his game to a whole other level at Bayern.

When he was first presented to the press as a Bayern player, Olise looked - and sounded - like he didn't particularly want to be there. But Premier League followers weren't in the least bit surprised by his amusingly monosyllabic responses to journalists' questions. It's just Olise's nature. Put a microphone in front of him, and he clams up. Put him on a pitch, though, and he'll express himself as eloquently and elegantly as any footballer in the game today.

As he said himself shortly after moving to Munich, "As a footballer, you have to give your answers on the pitch first and foremost." And Olise quickly set about dispelling doubts over his perceived lack of enthusiasm by letting his feet do his talking for him.

The presumption was that Olise would require some time to settle into his new surroundings in Munich. As he said himself, the biggest difference between playing at Selhurst Park and the Allianz Arena was pressure.

"We were often the underdogs at Palace," he told the FC Bayern Members' Magazine. "But that’s never the case with Bayern!"

Olise, though, immediately made light of the weight of expectancy, scoring 20 goals in all competitions and creating a further 23 as he ended a sensational debut season in Germany as the only Bayern player to feature in all 34 rounds of their Bundesliga title triumph.

“He has become one of our most important players," Kompany admitted, "and that's not something you can take for granted when it’s your first year in the Bundesliga at this level."

Just like Kompany, though, club legend Thomas Muller was adamant that there was even more to come from Olise. Consequently, he was quick to point out that, "a Bayern player isn’t judged by one season, but by how consistently they deliver over a number of seasons."

However, Muller was supremely confident that Olise had the requisite drive and determination to push himself to new heights: "From his character, I see a passion for improvement. So, fans can look forward to his future at the club, because I don't believe he's a one-hit wonder."

Muller was right, too, as Olise's second season at Bayern has been even more impressive than his first. No winger across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues has been directly involved in more goals in all competitions in 2025-26 than Olise (37), while no player has provided more assists (23).

It's hardly surprising, then, that he's become a firm favourite with fellow forwards Harry Kane and Luis Diaz - both of whom have been dumbstruck by Olise's dribbling skills. Kane has repeatedly hailed Olise's seemingly effortless ability to glide past opponents, while Diaz - a ridiculously skilful player himself - says, "Michael destroys you in one-on-one situations. He’s so technically gifted and makes all the difference."

Given Olise's combination of pace, trickery and end product, as well as his propensity for cutting inside onto his left foot before bending the ball into the top corner of the net, comparisons have inevitably been made with another brilliant Bayern winger, Arjen Robben. Kompany, though, sees some similarities with arguably the most creative player the Premier League has ever seen.

"Michael arrived with a mentality that gives him a chance to be one of the best players in the world," Kompany said after watching Olise tear Atalanta to shreds in the first leg of their last-16 rout of the Serie A side in Bergamo. "He’s very detailed in the work that he does, and I’ve said it before of working with top talents that while I don’t want to compare the players because they’re not the same, he has the mentality I saw when I played with Kevin De Bruyne.

"I was lucky to watch Kevin come through as a young player and become a superstar. I saw the whole process and it is that obsession for detail that Michael has. It's not enough, of course. We have to push him to do more. But he's on a very good trajectory and it's a pleasure to witness it."

Olise has unquestionably been a joy to watch this season - and the really exciting thing is for us neutrals, and particularly Bayern, is that it's not over yet. Olise has the chance to write himself into the record books in Germany by breaking the Bundesliga record once held by De Bruyne for most assists across a single season. But, of far greater significance, is the golden opportunity he has to inspire Champions League glory before helping France win the World Cup.

These are the kind of lofty goals Olise is now targeting - and rightly so. As former Germany midfielder Sami Khedira told BILD ahead of Bayern's Champions League first-leg meeting with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, "Olise is probably the best winger in the world at the moment. He offers an overall package that is top class."

Of course, that's precisely why Khedira feels that Olise would be just as excellent a signing for Madrid as he would Liverpool. Bayern, though, would be crazy to even consider selling him this summer - and definitely not for anything less than a world-record fee.

He's still only 24, after all, and less than two years after Henry hailed Olise as a unique talent, it actually feels like this is only the start of his ascent to superstardom, that the best is yet to come, that we really “ain't seen nothing yet”!