Michael Olise, the France international who plays for Bayern Munich, was strongly criticised on social media after giving a string of short, disengaged answers in a post-match interview on Thursday, September 10, despite scoring twice in his side's Champions League match against Bodo/Glimt.
Olise was picked to speak to a broadcaster after the final whistle but offered only brief responses and appeared to make little effort to engage with the questions put to him. The reporter conducting the interview told Olise that he was not making things easy for him, struggling at several points to get much more than a few words out of the player.
Reaction spreads online
Footage of the exchange quickly circulated on social media. Olise's manner, in keeping with his reputation as a reserved and understated character, still drew criticism from some users, who said his behaviour verged on a lack of respect toward the reporter.
The German account of streaming broadcaster DAZN also weighed in, sharing the clip on social media with a message joking that interviewing Olise was mission impossible, alongside a promotion for its own coverage of the Champions League.
Who is Michael Olise?
Olise moved to Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2024 and has since become a regular starter for the German club as well as a fixture in the France squad, known as Les Bleus. He plays as an attacking midfielder and winger, and his brace against Bodo/Glimt came in a Champions League fixture, the top club competition in European football.
Bayern's sporting director speaks out
As the controversy grew, Bayern Munich's sporting director, Max Eberl, addressed the criticism in front of the press. He said Olise was someone who simply wanted to play football and that life off the pitch was not really his thing. Eberl said the club had already seen the same behaviour at Olise's unveiling two years earlier, adding that not everyone behaves the same way. He said the media coverage of the incident had been enormous, but that on social media platforms such as TikTok, Olise was celebrated for exactly this kind of behaviour.
Kompany defends his player
Bayern Munich's head coach, Vincent Kompany, the former Belgium international and Manchester City captain, went further in defending his midfielder. He questioned whether the reporter who conducted the interview was actually unhappy that it had gone viral, arguing that if every player answered the way he himself would, nothing would ever become viral.
Kompany said he could guarantee that no sponsor and no journalist had ever spoken badly of Olise's manner, and said people should not mix different issues together when judging the player.
