Zidane: Oulisi is shy off the pitch, but not on it

Zinedine Zidane heaped praise on Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise during the France head coach's pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow's clash with Belgium at the Stade de France, in the fourth round of the UEFA Nations League, singling out the player's calm personality away from the pitch.

Zidane said: "He is reserved and a little shy off the pitch, but that is fine, because on the pitch he is not shy at all. In fact, he is a natural leader with his style of play."

The France legend continued: "He shows all his talent with the ball. He established himself here a while ago, and he is producing a wonderful level with his club."

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None of this surprises anyone who follows Olise. His aversion to the media is well known. He rarely speaks publicly and refuses any extra appearance.

Speaking to French newspaper L'Equipe, the player explained his stance. He prefers to let his football do the talking and insists he has never liked the spotlight. His famous celebration, one finger on his mouth and another in his ear, carries a message too: he does not listen to criticism and keeps silent.

His first big moments trace back to his days at Crystal Palace, when he scored the winner against West Ham and then gave an extremely brief interview, summing up his goal by saying that his teammate passed him the ball, so he shot and scored.

Controversy flared again a few weeks ago. Olise scored twice and set up a third in Bayern's 5-0 Champions League win over Bodo/Glimt. Asked about his performance, he offered short answers that some read as a lack of respect, saying: "I don't know. I shoot, and the ball goes in or it doesn't. I'm not the only one who scores the goals."

Coach Vincent Kompany and sporting director Max Eberl leapt to his defence. Eberl stressed that young people on TikTok and social media platforms celebrate Olise precisely "because he acts as himself".