Michael Olise’s decision to represent France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is rooted in family as much as football. His father, Vincent, played cricket for Nigeria across nearly a decade and passed on a love of sport beyond the game. His mother, Mina, a French woman of Algerian descent, introduced Michael to chess and shaped his connection to France from childhood. Together, the two parents built a household where four nationalities, two languages, and multiple sports coexisted, producing a player who carries all of it with him.
