Nike are making a huge statement by tying down Bayern Munich's boot-deal rebel Michael Olise

As he forgoes millions every year in potential sponsorship income, Olise has never explained why he has decided to go against he grain. Earlier this year, a source close to Olise told L'Equipe that the idea of a boot deal simply "doesn't interest him at all", suggesting he was more than happy to have the freedom to do and wear whatever he liked.

"I think it makes him (Olise) interesting," sports marketing expert Misha Sher told The Athletic during the summer. "The fact he clearly values performance above anything else in a world where it appears that everyone has a price. I'm not sure it’s intentional from a brand perspective for him, I think that's just who he is.

"Someone who values individuality as much as he does perhaps doesn’t want to be another athlete on the roster of the big brands. We know that players at that level get paid well anyway, but to forgo a deal, or a relationship in this particular category, is highly unusual."

Tim Stedman, vice-president of strategy and athlete marketing at SportFive, added: "It is to Olise's enormous credit that he doesn't feel the need for that. It could be that he doesn't want the exposure or commercial adulation, or that he wants to remain detached, and is more of a private person who focuses on his playing career."

Despite his lack of interest in a boot deal, Olise has always been synonymous with one brand and one silo in particular: Nike and their Hypervenom III, which was first released in 2017 before the Hypervenom line was discontinued the following year.

While he has donned Nike's Mercurials, adidas F50s and New Balance boots both after his breakthrough at Reading and in training more recently, Olise has exclusively worn Hypervenoms on-pitch across his time at Crystal Palace and Bayern Munich.

He's shown off his vast collection of that specific silhouette by matching the colourway to the kit he's wearing in any given match, and he's even gone as far as commissioning artists to customise some of the pairs he owns with bespoke, hand-painted designs.

However, it seems Olise's indifferent stance on boot deals has suddenly changed as his star (and profile) continues to rise at both club and international level.

With Olise's stock at an all-time high as he continues to catch the eye for Bayern on a weekly basis, and following his sublime individual exploits for France at the World Cup, Nike are widely reported to have tied him down to his first-ever boot deal.

It's a much-needed coup for the American sportswear giant, who lost the modern-day face of their football offering in September when Olise's compatriot and Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe defected to market challengers On, who are making their first foray into football boot manufacturing.

Reports that adidas wanted to land Olise will make the deal all the sweeter for Nike. According to Footy Headlines, the German brand made a serious play to bring him on board in the summer, tabling a lucrative long-term contract after their CEO Bjorn Gulden had publicly expressed his desire to make Olise an adidas athlete.

However, it seems that was not enough to sway the 24-year-old, and aside from money, there is apparently big reason why he chose Nike instead.

Almost 10 years on from its discontinuation, Nike are reportedly set to bring the Hypervenom back in 2027 - and Olise will be one of the faces of the rebooted silo. The promise to revive the line is what clinched the winger's signature, according to Footy Headlines.

Neymar was the poster boy of the Hypervenom when it was originally released in 2013 to replace the iconic Total90 range, wearing the boots as he starred for Barcelona and at the 2014 World Cup on home soil in Brazil. It was discontinued in 2019, but is now about to take its place in Nike's line-up once again following the re-release of the inaugural colourway in 2025.

The returning silhouette will replace the Phantom - currently worn by the likes of Erling Haaland and Alexia Putellas - as Nike's main agility and shooting boot. That pair will front the relaunch of the Hypervenom alongside Olise and Chelsea's Cole Palmer next summer. The Bayern man had already been spotted training in what is believed to be a whiteout prototype of the upcoming boot while on France duty ahead of the World Cup.

With the wider context, the timing of Olise's decision to finally end his avoidance of boot deals makes a lot more sense, as he prepares to make his love affair with the Hypervenom official.

Fittingly, given Olise's nonchalance and apparent reluctance to be a superstar, this apparently won't be your average boot deal. Instead, Nike are supposedly set to take a fresh approach with a man who has instantly become one of the biggest names on their roster.

According to Footy Headlines, the American sportswear behemoth intends to take 'a completely different creative route' with the Frenchman, with plans in place to spotlight the contrast between his famously calm, understated and emotionless off-field demeanour and his electric, game-changing presence on the pitch.

What, exactly, that will look like remains to be seen, but it's a distinct possibility that we could see Olise in signature Hypervenoms next year. After all this time, his connection with the boot is now official, and it seems there is much more to come.