Bayern Munich of Germany’s Nigerian-born midfielder, Michael Olise caused a stir on social media at the start of this weekend, as photographs appeared of him playing ‘grassroots football’ without boots on a local astroturf pitch in New York City, USA, Sports247 reports.
The post left many football lovers sharing varying shades of comments on what was termed a rare occurence by a player born in Europe, as Olise apparently allowed the ‘Nigerian in him’ come to the fore.
The game, which was organised by a social development agency, GoodRec, had Olise as its main attraction and he played the game with a relish – wearing only socks on his feet.
Olise’s appearance in the back streets of New York came so soon after he dazzled with France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but ended up in fourth place with Les Bleus, whose title ambitions were cut short by eventual champions, Spain in the semi-finals.
The former Reims of France and Crystal Palace of England sensation also lost a ten-goal thriller, 6-4 to England in the third place match, but Olise appeared to have put that behind him, as the lad with a Nigerian father and Algerian mother kicked the ball around for fun in The Big Apple.
A post by Goodrec Sports captured footage of Olise playing, as well as a group photo at the end of the match, with the fair-skinned dazzler wearing a bright orange T-shirt, paired with baggy black and white chequered trousers, but no boots.
Sports247 reports further that the 24-year-old Olise, who was born in England but opted to play for his mother’s country of birth, got seven assists at the recent World Cup, to match King Pele’s all-time record, but narrowly avoided getting a red card in the semi-finals for a terrible tackle on Rodri.
