Michael Olise Told Patrick Vieira Why He Chose France Over England
Michael Olise Told Patrick Vieira Why He Chose France Over England
Patrick Vieira has revealed the damning reason Michael Olise gave to him about choosing to play for the French national team over England.
Olise has now made 26 caps for France, enjoying an outstanding couple of years in Didier Deschamps’ ranks. While Les Blues fell short at the semi-final stage, losing comfortably to Spain in Dallas on Tuesday, the Bayern Munich winger has played a key role in France’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
Given his status as one of the best attacking players in world football, he’s likely to continue contributing to his country’s exploits at international tournaments for several years.
Many will be aware that Olise was also eligible to play for the Three Lions, but won’t know why he opted to represent England’s continental counterparts — Vieira has revealed what the player himself told him.
Patrick Vieira Reveals What Olise Told Him About Picking France Over England
Former Genoa coach Patrick Vieira looks on
Born in White City in west London, Olise could have chosen to play for England. He grew up in the United Kingdom’s capital city, spending time in the academies of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, before eventually settling at Reading in 2017.
When it came to selecting which team to represent at international level, Olise had several options. He was eligible to play for Nigeria through his father, while his mother’s rich heritage made him eligible for Haiti, Algeria and France.
He ultimately opted for Les Bleus, making his under-18s debut in 2019 before representing France at the under-21s level and at the Olympics, and eventually making his senior debut in 2024.
Vieira, who coached Olise at Crystal Palace between 2021 and 2023, has revealed what Olise told him about his choice of international team, and England fans won’t like it.
“There was no question of England or anything else,” he told L’Equipe.
“He told me he had always been a supporter of the French national team. And he also explained to me that he had a better chance of becoming a world champion with Les Bleus than with England.”
Michael Olise on Why He Selected France Instead of England
Michael Olise REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Olise might have made this bold claim in private to Vieira, but he wasn’t willing to be quite this open when speaking about his decision to represent France publicly.
In an interview with Highsnobiety, the playmaker explained that he grew up following iconic French players, while he also enjoyed his time travelling in the country as a child.
“The players I followed when I was young were French: [Zinedine] Zidane, Thierry Henry, [Franck] Ribery,” he said.
“And I always came to France when I was young. It felt more natural.”
Ultimately, the choice was Olise’s, and people are allowed to feel more connected to certain parts of their roots than others.
