A 2026 Ballon d’Or nomination for Michael Olise is the player’s second and comes from a remarkable 2025/26 made up of creation and impactful numbers.

There was never any real jeopardy that Harry Kane would fail to secure a third consecutive leading goalscorer merit in the Bundesliga last season, just as Kylian Mbappe's prolificacy at the summer's World Cup came as little surprise. Both feared hit-men - masters of their craft - had something crucial in common. Michael Olise alongside them.

A creator supreme

With his slaloming dribbling style and accuracy from range, Olise carries a significant goal-threat in his own right, converting 22 times for Bayern in 2025/26, five in the Champions League.

Unquestionably though, what sets the 24-year-old apart is the unselfish and astute manner in which he creates chances for others, a trait that was always evident during his three years at Crystal Palace but which has truly come to the fore in Germany, surrounded by world-class talent.

The player’s persistent assisting is the primary reason behind his securing of the Bundesliga Player of the Season honour for 2025/26. It explains too why Real Madrid dared to launch an audacious attempt to sign him this summer, for a huge, reputed fee.

From August to May last term, Olise assisted in the Bundesliga on 19 occasions, just shy of a third of them for Kane.

His lofty tally meant that only one peer across Europe’s top five leagues – Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes – bettered him in this regard.

When his output for the Die Roten is broadened out to include other competitions it only gets more impressive, assisting every 129.5 minutes and racking up 31 all told.

By achieving this total, he became only the fourth player in European football in the 21st century to break the 30-assists barrier.

International velvet

For France, Olise went into this summer’s World Cup with seven assists to his name since making his international bow in the autumn of 2024.

Remarkably, over the course of four weeks in the Americas, the winger/playmaker doubled that number.

It began with a threaded throughball for Mbappe in France’s opening content versus Senegal, spying a pathway to his striker that others may not.

It concluded with a couple of assists against England in that ridiculous 6-4 third-place play-off.

Come the tournament’s end no player came close to the Bayern ace for providing goals on the biggest footballing stage, and the London-born star should take enormous personal pride in that.

It sets him up well to again assist on a regular basis for club and country in the latter months of 2026 and beyond.