Michael Olise has spent his whole football career only signing contracts that truly interest him.
Michael Olise is making his own path at his first World Cup, even though he hasn’t signed a contract that most top footballers usually have.
The Bayern Munich winger has been amazing for France in the tournament in North America, setting up five goals in four games and proving he’s one of the best players in the world right now.
Olise, getting ready for the round of 16 match against Paraguay in Philadelphia, is looking like a strong candidate for the 2026 Ballon d’Or after a fantastic season with Bayern, scoring 25 goals and providing 28 assists.
He has a cool, unique style on the field, which even shows in his choice of boots. He often matches his boots to his team’s kit, something he used to do at Reading and Crystal Palace and continues to do now on the biggest stage.
Although Nike boots are his favorite, he’s also worn Adidas and New Balance shoes sometimes. That’s because Olise hasn’t signed with any major sports brand—and he doesn’t plan to.
In an interview with the French paper L’Equipe, a source said about his boot choice: “He doesn’t have one, it doesn’t interest him at all.”
Not caring about sponsorship deals means Olise can wear whatever boots he likes. While teammates like Kylian Mbappe wear the newest Nike boots, Olise often sticks to older styles, enjoying the freedom to be creative.
He usually wears Nike Hypervenom boots but sometimes goes for Nike Mercurial Superfly cleats. It’s rare for a player of his level not to have a boot deal, making him one of the most well-known free agents in that area.
Recently, Olise was seen with a prototype pair of white Nike boots not yet released, and there’s been talk he might sign with Adidas. At an Adidas event in New York during the World Cup, Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden showed interest in signing him.
Meanwhile, Mbappe has been with Nike since he was eight and even has his own signature boots. But his 19-year deal ends this summer, and he might become a free agent too.
Reports say Mbappe earns $14 million from Nike, but any new deal—whether with Nike or rivals like Adidas or Under Armour—is likely to be even bigger.
His Real Madrid teammate Rodrygo recently switched from Nike to Adidas, so if Mbappe follows, it would be a big surprise, given how closely he’s been linked to Nike for so long.