Michael Olise finds himself in a Ballon d’Or race just two years after making his move from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich.
But despite the form of the Frenchman, many regard him fourth in the running for the award, with Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane ahead in the rankings.
Kane scored 72 goals in the 2025/26 season for club and country, Yamal led Barcelona to the La Liga title with 16 goals and 12 assists and won his first World Cup this summer, while Messi broke the all-time World Cup scoring record at 39-years-old (before Kylian Mbappe broke the same record in the same tournament).
But whether Olise has a chance of winning or not, the Frenchman looks like he could be evolving even further and taking himself to another level this season.
In this article, we’ll cover
Olise vs Bayern forwards
By comparing Olise to his fellow Bayern forwards, which includes fellow Ballon d’Or nominee Kane, you get an idea of how dominant the Frenchman has been this season, leading the group with a Squawka rating of 8.4.
Firstly, Olise has scored the most goals this season, scoring four goals (1.19 goals per 90 minutes), which is joint-highest in the Bundesliga after four games played.
To go along with this, Olise is averaging 4.16 shots per 90 this season, which is nearly double Kane’s 2.43 shots per 90, with Olise being the considerably highest-volume shooter in Bayern’s attack.
And this isn’t just volume for volumes sake, because of Olise’s 4.16 shots per 90, 2.67 of those shots are on target, with the Frenchman’s conversion rate being 23.53%.
The added goal threat of Olise isn’t coming at the detriment of his creation metrics, as he is still averaging 2.97 chances created per 90, providing 0.3 assists per 90.
Olise is also attempting 6.53 crosses per 90, completing 2.08 of them, often cutting inside from the right on his stronger left foot, looking to send his trademark inswingers towards the back post.
He also leads the Bayern forwards in take-ons completed (3.27 per 90), getting into advanced areas to slot through balls and make forward passes into his teammates path.
The 23-year-old winger is leading Bayern Munich in plenty of attacking metrics this season, in both goal threat and creative categories, but what makes him so effective?
Goal-scoring arc
Olise often finds himself in central areas, drifting inside from the right, allowing Konrad Laimer or Josip Stanisic to provide the width.
By getting into these central areas, it allows Olise to be closer to goal, picking up the ball between the lines in zone 14, allowing him to get shots off from range.
His ability to strike the ball from outside the box has become a clear strength of the Frenchman in recent years, either cutting inside to curl it into the top left corner on his left-foot, or looking to strike it with more power across goal into the far right corner.
While finding himself in central areas to getting into longer range shooting positions where he already receives the ball between the two posts, it also allows him to be more involved in quick combination moves, which allows Olise to make smart off-ball runs and receive inside the box closer to goal.
One of the biggest improvements Olise has made seems to be his activity off the ball, earning his service with clever outside to inside runs and well timed off the shoulder runs.
Despite being more commonly a ball-to-feet player, Olise has started to make a higher volume of runs into space, trusting his teammates with the creative burden to find him making those runs, earning the service and getting into dangerous areas to score goals.
When finding himself in these 1v1 situations closer to goal, Olise has brilliant composure to slow himself down and make the correct decision, often rolling his shots into the net with placement rather than power.
These improvements has seen Olise’s shot volume go from 2.76 shots per 90 last season, to his 4.16 per 90 this season, getting into dangerous positions to unleash his shooting ability more often.
Elite creative tools
When it comes to Olise’s overall influence to Vincent Kompany‘s side in-possession, despite starting on the right, he has the freedom to drift inside, combine and look to feed runners beyond with the likes of Luis Diaz and Jamal Musiala thriving at finding those advantages.
Olise’s passing bag is utilised much more when you allow him to drift between wider positions and more central positions with more proximity, allowing him to play quick 1-2s, layoffs and slipped passes into depth.
When it comes to creating from out wide, one of his trademark moves is an inswinging cross, cutting inside from the right and looking to put teasing balls into the box on his stronger left-foot.
With the momentum of the ball already travelling towards goal, those attacking the ball have less to do, only needing to get a slight touch to guide the ball towards goal, without having to generate the power.
Olise is also a highly effective dribbler, who is brilliant at dictating the rhythm of his opponent through changes of pace, stutter steps and feints.
This allows Olise to manage 1v1 or even 1v2 situations against defenders, manipulating them with the aim of accessing the space he wants.
Gravity is another factor in this, with Olise possessing so many creative tools that defenders rarely want to leave him 1v1, often leading to the opposition doubling up on him and therefore leaving someone free elsewhere.
Whether he is scoring goals, creating for others, or creating space for others without even touching the ball, Olise’s overall impact for both club and country is clear, making him one of the best players in the world and a worthy contender of Ballon d’Or awards in the present and future.