After the second Bayern Munich goal went in, Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras could be seen arms outstretched before the restart, desperately urging those around him to provide some help. He was simply unable to cope with Michael Olise alone.
Vinicius Junior was not tracking back to support. Aurelien Tchouameni had enough to deal with in midfield. Left helpless, Carreras found himself exposed against one of the finest footballers in the world as Bayern Munich took charge in the Bernabeu.
Joshua Kimmich, Bayern’s experienced playmaker, knew what was happening. Time and again he fed Olise, playing 17 passes to the winger in total. And Olise kept running at that Madrid back line. Jamie Carragher called it one of the performances of the season.
“To do that in the Bernabeu,” he exclaimed, speaking on CBS. It was Manuel Neuer who claimed the man of the match award, his nine saves reflecting the chances that Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe had at the other end. But it was Olise who outshone the superstars.
The London-born former Crystal Palace winger, now 24, has become one of those in his own right. His assist for Harry Kane’s winner on the night was his sixth in the Champions League this season, more than any other player in the competition so far.
He will likely finish with the most successful dribbles too. Exceptional in the previous round away to Atalanta, former Germany international Christoph Kramer was moved to call him the best Bundesliga signing of the past decade that night. A revelation in red.
While the questions coming into this heavyweight European tie centred on whether Madrid’s forwards could conjure the moments that would make the difference against a slick Bayern side, there is no denying who has the most potent attack on the planet right now.
Kane and Luis Diaz scored the goals, Serge Gnabry and Olise helping to provide them. The three players to be involved in the most goals in major European leagues this season, penalties excluded, all play for Bayern. And it is Olise who leads the way.
Bayern Munich’s threat from the right flank during this season’s Champions League
The most effective player around? That is what he looked like in the Bernabeu. There has long been a swagger to Olise’s game and he showcased that side of it on the biggest of stages with his repertoire of no-look passes, regularly rolling the ball under his foot.
During his time in the Premier League, Olise became notorious for his often humorous but consistently monosyllabic interviews. If ever there has been a player who prefers to do his talking on the pitch, it is him. Because he has no trouble expressing himself there.
Michael Olise’s touch map for Bayern Munich as they beat Real Madrid in the Bernabeu
Arda Guler, the Madrid midfielder, soon became infuriated. But it was not just for show. Olise was always manoeuvring space for himself and he worked back defensively too. Vincent Kompany, his coach, speaks of a player who can do it all.
“What sets him apart is his mentality. He is a perfectionist, an extremely fussy guy who gets irritated if every detail is not perfect. I often see him in Kevin [De Bruyne]. His precision in his shooting, his quality in his dribbling, and his ability to use both feet.”
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Watch all of Michael Olise’s Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich this season
No wonder there are links to Liverpool given the news of Mohamed Salah’s impending departure – the France international would be a dream replacement. But that ship has sailed. Bayern will not sell. “We won’t be contributing to them playing better next year,” says Uli Hoeness.
Bayern’s long-time patriarch makes the point that there is no sum of money that could make it up to his members because the team would be worse as a result. They are in the glory game and Olise has turned into a player who can win them a Champions League.
This particular Champions League? Very possibly. The tie against the 15-time European champions is not yet won. Mbappe and Vinicius will be a danger on the counter-attack in Munich. But Bayern’s more coherent game should win out over three hours of football.
Individual talent wins games but the difference in the Bernabeu was that Bayern had that individual talent coupled with organisation, discipline and determination. All of that was embodied by Olise in a performance to remember. Just ask Alvaro Carreras.
The pictures within this article were taken by OPPO Find X9 Pro. OPPO has partnered with UEFA Champions League since 2022 and currently serves as the Official Smartphone Product Partner.
