Soccer
How Olise has arrived as a genuine star on the European stage
Watch the Champions League on DAZN - US, CA & NZ
There are performances, and then there are announcements. What Michael Olise produced in Bergamo last week fell firmly, gloriously, into the latter category.
Bayern Munich’s 6-1 dismantling of Atalanta was already the sort of result that bends a tie beyond recognition, but the scoreline alone doesn’t quite capture the feeling. This was not just dominance; it was theatre.
And at the centre of it all was a 24-year-old who now looks less like an emerging talent and more like a fully-formed European problem.
Two goals, one assist and a statistical line that reads like a player competing in his own private match: seven chances created, nine touches in the opposition box, five shots, four on target. It was, quite officially, a Player of the Match performance. It was, more importantly, the night Michael Olise stopped being appreciated and started being feared.
Because this has been coming.
More than a numbers game
The numbers this season have been steadily stacking into something difficult to ignore. In the Bundesliga, Olise has delivered 10 goals and 17 assists, operating at a level of consistent incision that Bayern have historically demanded but rarely found so quickly in a relatively new arrival.
In the Champions League, he sits joint-top of the assist charts with seven, a figure that speaks less to volume and more to influence. Even the broader picture – over 35 goal contributions in all competitions – begins to feel less like a hot streak and more like a baseline.
And yet, numbers alone don’t quite explain Olise. They rarely do with players like this.
There is a particular kind of forward who thrives in elite systems, and then there is the rarer type who bends those systems around themselves. Against Atalanta, Olise was the latter. Bayern were devastating, yes, but they were also, at times, simply reacting to him. His tempo, his angles, his decisions. The game unfolded at his preferred speed.
The first goal was a study in timing, arriving amid Bayern’s early surge as they raced into a three-goal lead inside 25 minutes.
The second, struck from the edge of the area into the top corner, was something else entirely – the kind of finish that doesn’t just extend a lead but asserts control over the entire occasion.
Between those moments, there were passes that broke lines before defenders realised they existed, touches that created space where there should have been none, and an almost casual sense of inevitability.
Getty Images
The biggest stage
This is what the European stage does. It strips away the comfortable context of domestic form and asks a simpler question: can you do it here, against this level, under this weight? Olise didn’t just answer it; he seemed faintly amused by the need to.
It helps, of course, that Bayern are the ideal amplifier. A team capable of scoring six away from home in a Champions League knockout tie without even requiring their most famous names to dominate the scoresheet is a team built for players like Olise.
But amplification only works if there is something worth amplifying. Olise is no longer a promising signal; he is the message itself.
There will be bigger tests. There always are. Quarter-finals bring structure, semi-finals bring scrutiny, finals bring legacy.
But what matters now is that Olise has crossed that subtle, significant threshold. He is no longer being introduced to the European elite. He belongs to it.
How to watch the Champions League in the USA on DAZN
Soccer fans in the US can watch the Champions League in Spanish language as part of their DAZN subscription package.
An annual upfront payment is $224.99 , while paying monthly for 12 months is $19.99 and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.
CBS has coverage of every Champions League match in English language this season. You can get more details and subscribe to CBS's Champions League coverage here.
Fans can watch extra Champions League games in Spanish on ViX. A selection of those matches are also available on UNIMÁS and TUDN.
How to watch the Champions League in New Zealand on DAZN
Every Champions League game during the 2025-26 season is streamed in high definition and comes as part of a DAZN subscription.
An annual subscription costs $14.99 per month for 12 months and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.
How to watch the Champions League in Canada on DAZN
Watch every game of the Champions League this season in Canada with a DAZN subscription.
There are three subscription options, each offering a different selection of sports. Access to every Champions League match is included in all three package offerings, ranging from $29.99 to $44.99 per month (for 12 months)
