Michael Olise: Bayern's table-topping key | OneFootball

Michael Olise: Bayern Munich's standout performer on the road to the Bundesliga title

Michael Olise has played a starring role in Bayern Munich's return to the summit in 2024/25. With the leaders now just one win from glory, bundesliga.com takes a look at the Frenchman’s impact at the club since his summer move from Crystal Palace...

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The 2023/24 campaign was a disappointing one for the record champions to say the least. For the first time in 12 years, they ended a season without a trophy after finishing third in the Bundesliga, losing in the DFB Cup second round to third-tier Saarbrücken and going out to Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

While Harry Kane’s services were acquired in 2023 to provide a cutting edge in front of goal, he lacked help in the final third. Thomas Müller, while still an effective player, was unable to reach his previous levels. At the same time, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry all missed significant chunks of the campaign due to injury.

That left Leroy Sané, young Mathys Tel and bit-part forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who all contributed but could not fill the void. Not used to finishing a season empty-handed, it was clear Bayern would make a statement in the summer transfer window.

Bayern fell short on all fronts in 2023/24, despite Harry Kane's 44 goals in 45 competitive games. (IMAGO/Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON)

Ultimately, Olise was the shiny new signing tasked with firing Bayern back to the top. The youngster had impressed at Crystal Palace, racking up 11 assists in 2022/23 – the fourth most in the English Premier League – before scoring 10 and creating a further six in just 19 league outings the following season.

Despite playing for France at the 2024 Olympics, eventually winning a silver medal, Olise was thrown straight into the starting line-up for Bayern’s Bundesliga curtain-raiser against Wolfsburg. That only underlined his perceived importance to the team, and he soon delivered on that promise.

He needed just three games to score his first goal for the club, in the 6-1 victory over Holstein Kiel, before netting a brace against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Another pair of Bundesliga strikes against Werder Bremen on Matchday 4 meant he had scored five goals in just seven days, a sign of things to come.

Fourteen efforts across all competitions in his debut season is hardly to be sniffed at, but it's his creative ability that has really caught the eye. Olise has laid on 12 goals in the league this term, more than anyone else in the German top flight and just one behind Alejandro Grimaldo’s division-topping return in 2023/24. Meanwhile, his tally of 21 goal contributions has been surpassed only by Kane and Omar Marmoush, formerly of Eintracht Frankfurt and now of Manchester City after a January switch.

The underlying numbers also highlight his influence. The 23-year-old has provided the final pass for the most shots (71) alongside Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich and ranks fourth for attempted dribbles (74). He also leads the way for crosses at Bayern with 114, while bringing him down has often been the only way for opponents to stop him; he is the third-most fouled player in the Bundesliga.

His performances have already won him the Rookie of the Month award for October, while he was named Bayern’s February Player of the Month. Unsurprisingly, teammates, coaches and pundits alike can't get enough of the dazzling wideman. Head coach Vincent Kompany even went as far as to say that Olise “has become one of our most important players this season. That’s not something you can take for granted when it’s your first year in the Bundesliga at this level.”

With a first piece of major career silverware tantalisingly close, the next challenge for Olise is to replicate this season’s form in the years to come. Müller, who knows a thing or two about longevity, clearly believes that won’t be a problem.

“A player isn’t judged by one season, but by how consistently they deliver,” he said as Olise produced a match-winning display in the 3-0 victory over Mainz on Matchday 31. ”From his character, I see a passion for improvement. Fans can look forward to his future. I don’t believe he’s a one-hit wonder.”

As Bayern prepare to get their hands back on the Bundesliga title, they can be confident in the knowledge that they possess a star in the making who has years ahead of him to improve and hone his craft – a scenario that, in turn, will strike fear into full-backs across Germany and beyond.

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