"He was just sitting asleep in his car": A curious story about Bayern Munich's Michael Olise revealed

Background: As a teenager, Olise was just breaking into the first team of what was then an English second-tier club (now in the third tier), but he was still living with his family in London. Every morning he battled the capital's heavy traffic to reach Reading on time.

"He said he didn't want to get stuck in traffic and didn't want to spend too long in the car. He'd probably set off as early as 5.30 in the morning to make it to training on time," recalled Bowen, now sporting director at English fifth-tier side Forest Green Rovers. The curious part, he added, was that Olise "would arrive at the training ground and fall fast asleep at the wheel. When training started at 9 a.m., the senior players would approach me and ask, 'Where's Michael? Why is he late?' I'd reply, 'He might be late for training, but while you were still in bed he was already out in the car park.' He was just a kid and would nod off. We had to rap on the glass and wake him for the session,' Bowen recalled.

Olise had a brief spell in Arsenal's youth setup before joining Chelsea, where he spent seven years. Aged 14, the Blues released him despite his obvious talent, and he moved straight to Manchester City; however, his stay there lasted only a year.

He eventually joined Reading at 15 and broke into the first team less than two years later. "Why did he end up at Reading after being at those top clubs?" his mentor Bowen still wonders today. "The only thing I can put it down to is that perhaps those clubs saw his confidence as a negative. That, in their opinion, he perhaps should have been a bit more humble."

Under Bowen, Olise became a regular at Reading and moved to Crystal Palace in 2021, where he established himself in the Premier League. Bayern then paid a whopping €53 million transfer fee for the French international in 2024, a sum that has already paid off in full just under two years later. At FCB, Olise has blossomed into one of world football's brightest talents, most recently thrilling in Bayern's 4-5 classic against Paris Saint-Germain. In total, the 24-year-old has already notched 20 goals and 29 assists in 47 appearances this season.