Michael Olise has scored in all three of France’s Nations League matches this international window, and his new head coach keeps running out of superlatives.

In Brussels on 28 September, Olise came off the bench and won the game 1-0 for France with a solo run finished off in the 88th minute. Four days later his free-kick crashed in off the crossbar at the Stade de France to rescue a 1-1 draw against Italy. Yesterday he made 2 goals and 1 assist in just 30 minutes aginst Belgium.

Zinedine Zidane, who took over from Didier Deschamps on 28 July on a four-year deal after France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup, has barely stopped talking about him since.

“He’s a pure talent, I like this type of player. He wants to please people when he plays, but not only that,” Zidane said after the Belgium win.

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“He feels football, he knows when to go and when to slow things down. I’m happy to be by his side, to see him play like this.”

A “natural leader” who is quiet off the pitch

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday before France host Belgium in the Nations League return fixture at the Stade de France, Zidane went back to the same subject. He called Olise “a natural leader with his game that he brings.”

“He’s a bit reserved and shy off the pitch, but that’s fine because on the pitch he’s not shy at all,” Zidane added.

“He’s also showing all his talent with the ball. He has established himself here for a while and is doing very well at his club.”

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At club level, Olise has 12 direct goal contributions in his first seven Bayern appearances of the season.

Bayern’s €170m question

The praise lands as Bayern Munich try to resolve a contract situation that has been running at them all autumn. Olise’s current deal runs to 2029 at a reported £12m a year, but Bayern want to extend it to 2032 and lift his salary to around £21m, moving him into the top-tier bracket alongside Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala.

The sticking point is a release clause. The 24-year-old is reportedly pushing for a figure around £170m to be written into the new deal, which would effectively hand him control of any future move to Spain. Real Madrid were linked with him over the summer, but both the Spanish club and Bayern sporting director Max Eberl have publicly denied the rumours. Olise is reported to have discussed the idea of a Madrid switch with France team-mates Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni during the 2026 World Cup.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said only that Olise is “exceptional in his position” and under contract until 2029.

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Kick-off between France and Belgium at the Stade de France is 20:45 CEST on Monday.

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